The condo on Houghton Avenue used by high risk sex offender, Graham Dodge.
Image Credit: GOOGLE STREET VIEW
May 28, 2024 - 6:00 PM
The B.C. Government wants to seize property used by a prolific Okanagan sex offender — and owned by his parents.
The B.C. Director of Civil Forfeiture has applied to seize a condo and a cabin associated with Graham Daniel Dodge, who has been convicted of a number of offences in Penticton, Vernon and Kelowna since 2009. That list includes production, distribution and possession of child pornography, sexual interference, supplying liquor to a minor, assault, assault of a peace officer, attempt to disarm a peace officer, intimidation, failure to comply with a probation order and failure to comply with a recognizance.
Dodge, born in 1987, is on the National Sex Offender Registry as a high risk offender.
Most recently he was arrested March 13, 2024 for breaching parole conditions by attending locations where youths frequent and attempting to photograph the youths. During the investigation, police found images on his cell phone of children being sexually assaulted.
In 2020, he was investigated, charged and later convicted of possession of child pornography and sexual interference of a minor. But the director makes a number of other allegations that police had evidence that he “raped a youth or youths”, “sexually assaulted a youth or youths” and “provided a youth or youths with drugs, cannabis and-or alcohol.”
The government alleges that Dodge used both the Mount Baldy cabin and the Houghton Road condo to commit the crimes and calls them “proceeds and instruments” of crime.
Both properties are currently owned by his parents, Roberta and Dale Dodge, who “are aware of the past unlawful activity, or in the alternative, are "willfully blind” to it, the director alleges.
The director alleges Graham “was provided unfettered access to the cabin” by his parents and he used that access to commit his crimes.
The condo is valued at $321,000 and the cabin is worth $479,000, according to B.C. Assessment.
It makes a number of other allegations without any explanation, including that the properties were used to “launder the proceeds of crime” “drug trafficking”, selling cannabis and that they “failed to declare taxable income”.
The suit alleges the properties will continue to be used to commit further crimes if the properties are not seized.
No statements of defence have been filed in the case. Calls to the Dodge family were not returned.
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