BC Corrections issues warning about 'high-risk' offender amid scrutiny of notification process

BC Corrections has issued a public notification about 31-year-old Tyson Jerome Andrew, "a high-risk violent sex offender" who plans to reside in Campbell River.

BC Corrections has issued a public notification about "a high-risk violent sex offender" who plans to reside in Campbell River.

The warning concerns 31-year-old Tyson Jerome Andrew, who "has a lengthy criminal history that includes convictions for sexual assault," according to BC Corrections.

The agency says Andrew "poses a significant risk to women" and is subject to "close monitoring" and "11 court-ordered conditions," of which the warning lists only three:

He must not possess or consume alcohol or drugs, except with a medical prescription, he must not have any romantic relationships without first informing his probation officer, and he must obey a curfew requiring him to be at home from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily until March 13, 2025.

"If you observe the subject in violation of any of the above conditions, please call your local police agency," the warning reads.

It describes Andrew as an Indigenous man with black hair and brown eyes who stands 5'8" and weighs 189 pounds.

His photo is included alongside the warning.

Public notifications for high-risk offenders have come under scrutiny in B.C. in recent weeks, after convicted sex offender Taylor Dueck was arrested in Kelowna for an alleged incident involving an 11-year-old girl in the bathroom of an equestrian facility. 

Dueck has been charged with sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching and breach of probation, but his arrest sparked outrage because there was no public warning issued alerting the community that Dueck had been released from provincial custody before his latest alleged offences.

When he was released in the Fraser Valley in 2020, Dueck was the subject of public warnings from both Abbotsford police and Mission RCMP. 

The official Opposition has seized on the lack of such warnings this time around as an example of the NDP government's failure to keep residents safe.

"This government neglected to notify the public that there was a dangerous pedophile like this in their presence," BC United Leader Kevin Falcon said last week.

The provincial government is not involved in the RCMP's decision-making process regarding when to issue public notifications.

In the Dueck case, the Kelowna RCMP detachment has confirmed it "sought" a public interest disclosure, but one was not issued. Though Mounties have not confirmed who made the decision not to issue one, the authority to do so generally rests with the commanding officer of a given RCMP division. 

As the latest warning about Tyson Jerome Andrew makes clear, BC Corrections – a provincial agency – also has the authority to make public interest disclosures regarding offenders in its custody.

BC Corrections did not issue such a warning about Dueck.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said last week that "there was clearly a failure" in the public notification system regarding Dueck, and that he has ordered "a full investigation into all the federal and provincial agencies, as well as officials that were involved in what took place." 

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Lisa Steacy