Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Toronto man arrested in connection with sexual assault reported at Whistler club

Police Briefs: Drink spiking reported at nightclub; New Ops NCO hired at local RCMP
rcmp_logo
File image

A Toronto man is facing charges after he groped a woman at a Whistler nightclub, police said.

In the early hours of Jan. 29, police were notified of the alleged assault by a woman who said a male became “very forward” with her and attempted to touch her while dancing, said R. Const. Steve LeClair. A witness reportedly intervened, pushing the 23-year-old suspect away.

Later, however, the male allegedly grabbed the woman’s breast and genital area, and a confrontation between the two ensued. The suspect then slapped the woman in the face and ripped her shirt, police said.

After being kicked out of the club, the suspect apparently tried to regain access, but door staff rebuffed his attempts. The suspect, who was reported missing by his family, was later arrested at his hotel on charges of assault and sexual assault. He was eventually released with a future court date, police said.

Vancouver man ‘really not sure’ why he punched bar staff, police say

A Vancouver man was just as befuddled as police as to why he decided to punch a staff member at a local pub last week, police said.

Just before 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 28, a report came in that two men had just been ejected from a village bar after one of the males punched a staff member in the face, leaving him with a bloody nose and swollen eye. The second male reportedly tried to intervene in his friend’s arrest, and was detained for obstructing police. He was eventually released without charge.

While being interviewed by police, the 27-year-old suspect admitted to punching the staff member and also revealed “he really wasn’t sure why he did that,” LeClair noted.

In a separate incident the following night, police arrested a 25-year-old Australian man on vacation in Whistler after he reportedly assaulted two doormen at a local nightclub.

Staff told police the suspect left his phone inside and had been “kicking at the front door” in an effort to retrieve it. “When the kicking escalated and bar staff confronted him, asking him to leave, the suspect punched both doormen before being taken down,” LeClair explained. He was held in custody awaiting a court hearing.

A third assault at a local club was reported to police on Jan. 28 after a suspect punched a male for no obvious reason.

“The victim said he didn’t see the punch coming,” said LeClair, who added that police reviewed surveillance footage that “clearly showed the suspect hitting the victim with no apparent provocation.”

Local man, confused over where he lives, steals soup, police say

No charges will be laid against a Whistler man who reportedly trespassed onto several properties last week, and even scored some free soup.

Just after 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 24, police received a report from a man who claimed he was assaulted at his Whistler Cay condo. The complainant told officers a “grossly intoxicated” man knocked on his door, insisting the Crabapple Drive home was his. Despite the man’s insistence that the suspect did not actually reside there, the 44-year-old persisted, and tried to push his way inside. A struggle ensued before the suspect was forced out and fled the scene, police said.

Later that night, police received a report of a prowler on Old Mill Lane. The woman told Mounties she could see a person crouched in her carport and then walking around the perimeter of her house, setting off motion sensors. When officers found the man, he was inside a nearby home rummaging through the fridge.

“He had walked into a neighbour’s house and was helping himself to some soup,” LeClair said. “He was really remorseful.”

Police were able to identify the suspect thanks to a bag filled with identification he left behind at the Crabapple Drive residence. None of the parties involved chose to press charges, police said.

Drink spiking reported at Whistler nightclub

Whistler RCMP is investigating a possible drink spiking at a village nightclub.

On Jan. 29, a woman told police that, while celebrating her friend’s birthday the previous night, she left her drink unattended momentarily only to notice a male “lingering around the table,” said LeClair. When she retuned to take a sip, the woman said, “she felt heavy, her speech became slurred and everything began to slow down.” Because of her garbled speech, the woman said she was ignored by bar staff. A group of friends was eventually contacted and escorted the woman home, police said.

LeClair said video surveillance would be examined to try to identify a suspect.

New operations NCO hired for Whistler, Pemberton

A new operations NCO for Whistler and Pemberton has been hired and is in the process of relocating to Whistler, said Kara Triance, Officer in Charge for the Sea to Sky.

“We will be looking forward to introducing our new Zone Commander in the coming months,” Triance added in a statement.

Sgt. Rob Knapton, who was filling in as operations NCO in the wake of former Staff Sgt. Steve LeClair’s retirement this summer, is “away at this time,” she explained. (LeClair continues to work for the detachment as a reserve constable.)

Cpl. Scott Langtry will fill in as acting NCO in the interim.