(BRENDAN KERGIN / iNFOnews.ca)
November 16, 2021 - 6:00 AM
A former pastor at Willow Park Church in Kelowna has been charged with 16 sexual offences including seven counts of sexual assault.
Fifteen of the 16 charges Mitchell Ross Petillion faces stem from actions in Kelowna between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2019, according to an email from the B.C. Prosecution Service.
The other incident happened at or near Osoyoos.
Along with the seven sexual assault charges, there are four counts of luring a child, two of sexual exploitation, two of sexual interference and one of invitation to sexual touching.
On its website, Willow Park Church posted a statement saying Petillion was an employee until January 2020 when allegations became known to the church.
“As soon as we received the first indication of a potential issue, we immediately contacted the police as part of our standard protocol,” Steve Enns, Chairmen of the Board of Elders says in a video recording of the statement. “We have been strictly and rigorously adhering to that process in line with our child and youth protection policies, both for everyone who may feel this impacts them as well as our own integrity as a church body.”
The statement does not say when Petillion worked there or in what capacity.
“Given the seriousness of the allegations and the ongoing legal process, you will understand it’s not appropriate for us to comment on any specifics,” the statement reads. “Please know our clear and most pressing concern is for the well-being and privacy of those who have alleged the harm.”
Petillion is to appear in court in Kelowna on Dec. 9.
READ MORE: Kelowna RCMP want to become more sensitive to victims of sexual assault
To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2021