In 2004, the Greater Sudbury Police Service received a report of sexual assault involving a youth, however, at the time the survivor did not want to pursue criminal charges.
In January 2023, Detectives in the Major Sex Crime Unit of our Criminal Investigation Division initiated the investigation as the survivor was ready to proceed with the court process and there is no statute of limitation when it comes to reporting and/or investigating a sexual assault.
The incident occurred in 1999 and at the time of the incident the 15-year-old youth was a ward of CAS Sudbury & Manitoulin where the individual involved in the incident was employed.
On April 8, 2024, 57-year-old, Jean-Pierre Arsenault was arrested and charged with Sexual Assault under the Criminal Code of Canada.
Jean-Pierre Arsenault was released on an undertaking with a court date of May 1, 2024, to answer to the charges.
Based on the investigation, there are concerns that there may be other survivors. If you have any information related to this incident or this individual, you are asked to contact police at 705-675-9171.
If you have experienced a Sexual Assault, you have various options for reporting the incident(s) to police when you are ready to do so. In the case of an emergency, if you are in danger or need medical assistance or if the incident just took place/the person responsible is nearby, please call 9-1-1 immediately. If you are reporting a Sexual Assault after the fact and you do not believe that you require immediate assistance, you can call us at 705-675-9171 or you can report it online through the online reporting option on our website www.gsps.ca. Under the Reporting heading you will find a page dedicated to Sexual Assault reporting with additional information including a Sexual Assault Survivors Guide. We know that this is a very difficult time for survivors and we want to provide you with the assistance, resources and support that you require.