March 14, 2019 - 6:53 PM
MAPLE RIDGE, B.C. - A man who worked with children and youth at several schools in British Columbia's Lower Mainland is facing sexual assault and child pornography charges.
RCMP say 52-year-old Daniel Jon Olson appeared in provincial court in Port Coquitlam last Friday for offences that are alleged to have occurred between 2008 and 2019.
Olson has been charged with two counts of sexual assault with a weapon and eight counts of sexual interference, as well as numerous child pornography offences.
The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school district says in a letter to parents that Olson is a child and youth care worker who has worked in a number of elementary and secondary schools over the years.
It says Olson has been on unpaid leave since the district was notified of his arrest.
Superintendent Sylvia Russell says in the letter that the safety and well-being of students is the district's first priority.
"While we have no first-hand knowledge about the charges, we are informing all our families out of an abundance of caution so that parents/guardians can direct any information they may have about this matter directly to the Ridge Meadows RCMP," said Russell.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2019