A Duncan man has been arrested after he allegedly approached young girls at a store in Cowichan Commons and interacted with them inappropriately.
In a release, the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP said they responded to the incident on August 22nd around 11 p.m. at a store in the 3000-block of Drinkwater Road.
The man was reported to have been touching young girls in the aisles, as well as speaking to them and behaving in an inappropriate manner – he also allegedly vandalized merchandise geared toward young girls with profanities and crude drawings.
According to the RCMP, family members and store staff were alerted to the situation and the man fled the store.
Police were able to locate the suspect using surveillance footage and detailed witness descriptions.
28-year-old Ryan Pearce was charged with two counts of sexual interference. He will remain in custody until his next court appearance on Tuesday, August 27, 2019.
“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,” said Const. Amron Christensen, Media Relations Officer for North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact RCMP at 250-748-5522.
