Winnipeg man charged with sex assaults at Alberta college two decades ago

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This article was published 29/03/2023 (923 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg man is facing charges relating to a series of sexual assaults that took place while he was a student at a Christian college in Alberta nearly 20 years ago.

According to an RCMP release, the Winnipeg Police Service arrested Derek Taplin on a Canadawide warrant Tuesday.

RCMP in Three Hills, Alta. have charged the 43-year-old Winnipeg man with a series of sexual assaults between 2002 and 2004.

The assaults happened at Prairie College, a private Christian school in Three Hills, RCMP said.

In a statement to the Free Press, college president Mark Maxwell said Taplin was a student at the college between fall 2001 and spring 2004.

The school is co-operating with the investigation, Maxwell said.

“To the best of my knowledge, there were no complaints from students or staff at that time. There are no records of complaints in our files,” he said. “There are bad people out there. If this is one of them, we want him called to account.”

Maxwell alerted college students to the allegations in an email Wednesday afternoon.

“I feel very sorry for the people around Derek, like family and church, whose lives have certainly been up-ended by this news,” he said. “The charges are allegations and those will have to be determined in court. To the degree the allegations are true, I feel very sorry for the people who have been victimized.”

The investigation began June 10, 2021 after RCMP received a report of a historic sexual assault. Police have since identified four potential victims, the release said.

Taplin is facing four counts each of sexual exploitation of a young person, sexual interference, sexual assault and invitation to sexual touching. The charges stem from multiple incidents, RCMP said.

Police believe there may be more victims and are urging anybody with information to come forward.

There is no statute of limitations on sexual offences, and complaints can be made at any time.

Taplin is being transported to Alberta to face the charges.

“Sexual assault is a serious crime, and the Three Hills RCMP investigates every complaint thoroughly, with the utmost professionalism and care,” RCMP said.

A review of court documents revealed Taplin has no criminal record in Manitoba.

The investigation is still ongoing and police have not set a court date for Taplin.

People with information or who wish to report a crime can speak to investigators at 403-443-5539 or anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Reports can be made online at P3Tips.com.

—With files from Dean Pritchard

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca