A 32-year-old man from Coaldale faces charges following an investigation into reports of a Tuesday assault that occurred in a home in the southern Alberta town.
According to RCMP, the sexual assault was reported Wednesday morning and the victim was a 15-year-old girl. Officers searched a residence in Coaldale that evening and arrested a suspect in connection with the incident.
Trevor Pritchard, a 32-year-old man from Coaldale, faces a total of six charges related to:
- Sexual assault
- Unlawfully touching a person under 16 years of age for a sexual purpose
- Abduction of a minor
- Uttering threats
- Communicating with a minor in an attempt to commit a sexual related offence
In 2013, the Lethbridge Regional Police Service issued a warning following Pritchard's release from jail after he completed a 44-month sentence for sexually assaulting two 13-year-old girls. At the time, police considered Pritchard a high risk to reoffend and a significant risk to the public.
Alberta Justice confirms Pritchard was convicted of sexual assault in 2010 in Taber, 2009 in Lethbridge and 2004 at an undisclosed court in Alberta.
"We feel for the victims whenever an incident like this happens," said RCMP Staff Sergeant Glenn Henry. "There's a devastation to young people and to families."
The accused remains in police custody and is scheduled to appear in Lethbridge Provincial Court on Wednesday.
