WARNING: Graphic content
A 31-year-old man has been charged with several offences including criminal harassment in relation to several incidents involving Edmonton realtors dating back to 2012.
The Edmonton Police Service Sexual Assault Section started its investigation in March of this year after several female realtors came forward with harassment complaints, police said in a media release Thursday morning.
In each case, police said the women reported receiving phone calls from a man who posed as a customer to make arrangements to view vacant properties. The women said they were harassed over the phone or in person, “often for sexual purposes,” police said.
In one case, police said the suspect was seen masturbating and offered a woman money for sexual contact.
Geneva Tetreault has been a realtor for 15 years. When she first started, she took a self defence course.
“In our business, we get called by people all the time that we don’t know.”
She’s met many clients over the years, but one stands out in her mind – from 2012.
“He had a lot of information that checked the boxes of a regular buyer,” she said.
After speaking over the phone, Tetreault asked him to meet her at her office.
“Obviously, from a safety perspective, bringing a client in that you don’t know to a public place and having other people see him – you hope that would vet out some of the concerns and risks that might be there.”
But at one point in the meeting, she says the buyer pulled his jacket over his lap.
“I believe that he was masturbating while I was meeting with him,” she said.
She got up, asked him to leave and walked out of the room herself.
“I did receive multiple phone calls from him for a few weeks after that but I just didn’t take the call. Eventually he just stopped phoning,” she said.
It’s not the first time female realtors have been targeted by predatory men. In 2002 a man was arrested in a south Edmonton parking lot after attacking a Calgary Realtor.
Then, in 2007, warnings were sent out about a man making rude and explicit phone calls to women in the industry.
In 2009 again the Realtor’s Association warned women about a predator posing as a customer trying to isolate blondes.
Tetreault filed a police report and contacted the Realtor’s Association to warn others about the man.
“Someone in that situation is likely going to get more aggressive. The risk is higher, the situations are going to get worse. You just assume that’s the way it’s going to go.”
Five years later, she’s happy someone is being charged.
“Great that we’re at this place and fantastic hopefully none of us ever have to deal with this one individual again, but it doesn’t mean we should be safe about our business all the time. We put ourselves in risky situations all the time and that’s the nature of the business so we have to be careful.”
Danmar Louise Cagulada is charged with criminal harassment, harassing phone calls, indecent acts and procuring.
Police said the charges are related to incidents that occurred between May 2012 and March 2017. Officers believe there may be more complainants and are asking people to come forward with information by calling police at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile.
Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
— With files from Caley Ramsay, Global News
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