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Winnipeg police say a child was grabbed by a stranger in a St. Vital elementary school bathroom Thursday, leading to charges of assault and forcible confinement against a 28-year-old man who is a registered sex offender.
Officers were called to the school around 1:30 p.m. with a report of an adult stranger who had entered the school and confronted a child, Const. Dani McKinnon said at a Friday news conference.
“He was a complete stranger,” she said.
McKinnon declined to name the school, but a Thursday memo sent to parents by Darwin School principal Erin Enns identified that kindergarten to Grade 8 school, just west of St. Vital Centre and part of the Louis Riel School Division, as the one where the incident happened.
The school was placed in a hold and secure situation, meaning outside doors are locked and watched.
Police say they believe the man hid in a washroom stall in the school. When a student came out of another stall, the man grabbed hold of the child.
The student fought back and broke free from the man, then ran to tell a teacher what had happened.
The child did not need medical treatment, McKinnon said.
‘Very disturbing’
The man fled before police arrived, but an “eagle-eyed” witness in a vehicle followed him to a nearby mall, McKinnon said. Police identified it as a mall in the 1200 block of St. Mary’s Road, which is where St. Vital Centre is located.
Mall security helped police find the man in the parking lot, where he was taken into custody.
Scott William George, 28, has been charged with assault, forcible confinement and two counts of failing to comply with a prohibition involving children. He was detained in custody.
George has been a registered sex offender since he pleaded guilty to sexual interference in 2023, court records show. He was sentenced to two years for the July 2022 crime that involved sexually touching a person under 16 years old.
George’s criminal record stretches back to 2015 and includes convictions for breaking and entering and theft, forcible entry, mischief and weapons-related offences.
The prohibition order was meant to prevent George from having contact with children or being in spaces where they would typically be, McKinnon said.
She also would not comment on a motive or how the man got into the school.
“At the end of the day, this is a very disturbing incident,” she said.
“The light at the end of the tunnel is, nothing happened to this child physically in terms of harm … and what a brave student.”
McKinnon would not provide details about the student, including their age or gender.
Police say their investigation is continuing, and ask anyone who wants to speak with an investigator to contact the child abuse unit at 204-986-3296, or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 (TIPS) or online.
They also said they encourage parents and caregivers to speak to their children about safety “and the power of ‘seeing something, saying something.'”
“If something looks wrong, feels wrong — fight your way out of it [and] talk to a safe adult,” said McKinnon.
