Rural Christian school youth chief charged in historic sexual assaults

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A one-time pupil and volunteer youth chief at a central Alberta bible school has been charged with a number of sexual assaults on the faculty, alleged crimes relationship again 20 years.

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Performing on a Canada-wide warrant, Winnipeg police on Tuesday arrested Derek Taplin, 43, who’s been charged with sexually assaulting college students below his steering at Prairie Faculty in Three Hills from 2002 to 2004.

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“He was in control of youth teams . . . (the alleged assaults occurred) in all these eventualities,” stated Sgt. Jamie Day of the Three Hills RCMP detachment.

‘If somebody’s on the market, struggling and needs to inform their story, we’re right here to assist them’

On June 10, 2021, a person got here ahead to report he’d been sexually assaulted by Taplin whereas each have been college students on the school within the city 134 kilometres northeast of Calgary, stated Day.

Quickly after that, three different males reported related crimes, stated the Mountie, including it’s attainable there are different unknown victims of Taplin.

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“If somebody’s on the market, struggling and needs to inform their story, we’re right here to assist them,” stated Day.

Day stated among the assaults occurred on the campus of the school, whose web site says its instructional applications are “all soaked — not sprinkled — with the Bible.”

“There have been a number of assaults on every (sufferer),” Day stated.

“They might have additionally occurred in non-public settings, it didn’t should occur on a (school) outing.”

Taplin was not employed by the school on the time of the alleged assaults, stated RCMP.

All of the victims on the time have been categorised as youths, he stated.

Taplin within the technique of being returned to Alberta

The complexity, logistics and age of the alleged crimes explains why prices have been laid practically two years after the primary criticism, stated Day. A number of the victims and witnesses now not stay in Alberta “and we’ve needed to affirm a number of info and a number of background,” he stated.

Taplin is charged with 4 counts every of sexual exploitation of a youngster, sexual assault, sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching.

He’s within the technique of being returned to Alberta, stated RCMP, the place he’ll make a yet-to-be scheduled court docket look in a venue with shut proximity to Three Hills.

Prairie Faculty didn’t reply to a name for remark Wednesday.

The investigation remains to be ongoing by Three Hills RCMP, who could be contacted 403-443-5539.

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Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn