Whitecourt man facing more sexual assault charges after 8 additional underage victims identified

A 27-year-old man who was initially charged in October 2020 after a 14-year-old girl was sexually assaulted is facing additional charges.

Fort Saskatchewan RCMP said Tuesday that after those earlier charges were laid against Kenneth Bardilas, new evidence was found that launched a seven-month police investigation.

Eight more underage victims were identified, RCMP said, from Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia.

Police allege the accused used “the same tactics of reaching out to the victims via social media platforms, then exchanged nude photos with them. He also met in person with two of the additional victims.”

Bardilas was arrested in Whitecourt on March 11 and charged with multiple counts of invitation to sexual touching, sexual interference, sexual exploitation of person with disability, sexual assault, possession of child pornography, accessing child pornography, making child pornography, making sexually explicit material available, luring a child, criminal harassment, and harassing telecommunications.

Bardilas has been remanded into custody. His next court appearance is on April 1 in Fort Saskatchewan.

The Fort Saskatchewan RCMP said this investigation was a collaboration between RCMP in Whitecourt, Grand Prairie, Williams Lake B.C., as well as the Ontario Provincial Police, and the RCMP’s Digital Forensic Section.

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“I want to thank all of the people who worked on this complex investigation,” said Fort Saskatchewan RCMP Insp. Mike McCauley.

“I feel so deeply for the victims and their families. Their healing will take time, but at least it can now start and they can feel safe.

“These files are challenging from an investigative perspective, but they are also taxing on the officers any time children are involved.”