Richard Slobodian in a photo posted on Facebook July 2019.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Richard Slobodian
June 09, 2020 - 5:12 PM
A 58-year-old North Okanagan man recently arrested for taking photos of children in a Coldstream park has repeatedly breached a court order placed on him in 2014 after prosecutors feared he may commit a sexual offence against a child.
Court documents show Richard Allan Slobodian, born 1962, was placed under strict conditions on an order that appears to have been renewed on an ongoing basis. Crown prosecutors argued they had reasonable grounds to fear that Slobodian may commit a sexual offence against a minor.
He was put on what's commonly known as a peace bond, used by prosecutors when a person has not been convicted of an offence but where the Crown believes it has "reasonable grounds to fear" the person may offend in the future. Slobodian was placed on a recognizance — essentially a promise to keep the peace and abide by court-ordered conditions. The details of what events led to the court order being placed on Slobodian in 2014 are not in the court record.
Court documents show he has breached the court-imposed conditions around a dozen times.
Several photos on Slobodian's Facebook page appear to show him naked near a lake.
Slobodian was arrested June 6 after an off-duty police officer spotted his vehicle near Creekside Park in Coldstream and knew he was breaching a probation order by being within 100 meters of any park. He appeared in court June 8 charged with breaching a probation order made in August 2019. His next court appearance is set for July 9. Slobodian is currently not in custody.
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