Duncan man charged following alleged incident involving young girls at local retail store

Duncan man charged following alleged incident involving young girls at local retail store
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A Duncan man has been arrested and charged following an incident involving young girls at a local retail store.

A Duncan man has been arrested and charged following an alleged incident involving young girls at a local retail store.

North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP say that officers were called to the store on the 3000-block of Drinkwater Road last Thursday, August 22.

A man was reported to have been touching the girls in the aisles, speaking to them and behaving inappropriately. He is also alleged to have vandalized merchandise geared towards young girls with profanities and crud drawings.

Police say family members and store staff were alerted to the situation and the man fled the premises.

Using detailed witness descriptions and surveillance footage, RCMP managed to locate a suspect the following day.

28-year-old Ryan Pearce was arrested and now faces two charges of sexual interference. He was being held in custody awaiting a court appearance scheduled for Tuesday.

RCMP say no further details will be released in order to protect the identities of the youth involved.

The charges have not been proven in court.

“We encourage parents, guardians, and caregivers to take necessary security and safety measures in order to help keep the youth in our community safe,” said Cst. Amron Christensen, Media Relations Officer.

“Talk to your children about stranger danger, and go over safety planning with your children so that they’re prepared in case of an emergency.”

If you have information about this incident and have not already spoken to police, call North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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