The former mayor of Burns Lake, B.C. and former membership chair of the BC Liberal Party has been charged with several sex crimes.
Luke Everett Strimbold is facing "numerous counts of sexual assault and related offences," RCMP said in a statement Friday.
Mounties did not immediately provide information on specifics of the charges, but said the crimes were alleged to have been committed in 2016.
Residents of Burns Lake say the alleged crimes include offences against children.
“I think we're all really shocked and of course we're really saddened and of course a little angered,” said Mary Teegee, executive director of child and family services at Carrier Sekani Family Services, which has facilities in Prince George, Vanderhoof, and Burns Lake.
“Everybody knows everybody in a small community, and of course there was a level of trust as he was the mayor of Burns Lake,” Teegee said. “There's a lot of feelings that we have because of the seriousness of the allegations.”
The 28-year-old served as mayor in the North-Central Interior village from 2011 to 2016, when he resigned saying he wanted to go back to school and spend time with family. Elected at the age of 21, he was the province's youngest mayor.
Strimbold was listed as the BC Liberal Party's membership chair up until after the allegations against him became public on Friday. By the afternoon, his name and position had been removed from the "Governance" page of the party’s website.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the party said it became aware of the charges on social media Friday, and that Strimbold has resigned as membership chair and a member of the party.
Mounties said they are investigating the possibility that there may be more victims, and asked anyone who has not spoken to investigators to contact them. Police are also looking for potential witnesses to come forward.
Teegee said her organization is also working with police, the community, and First Nations in the area to provide resources for young people who come forward.
“We really want to provide assurances not only to the youth but also to the parents that we're going to provide the supports and, however they feel comfortable, if they need to have the disclosure that we'll have the proper people there,” she said.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Burns Lake RCMP at 250-692-7171 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
None of the allegations against Strimbold has been proven in court. CTV News has made several attempts to contact Strimbold through his family business in Burns Lake. Those calls have gone unanswered.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Breanna Karstens-Smith
