The chief of a Manitoba First Nation has been arrested and charged with a number of sexual offences, RCMP said.
Raymond Keeper, 65, Chief of Little Grand Rapids First Nation, was arrested Thursday after police wrapped up an investigation into texts sent in late September to a 16-year-old girl.
Keeper is facing charges of luring a person under 18, two counts of sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, and touching for a sexual purpose while in a position of authority.
He has also been charged with possessing a weapon obtained by committing an offence, careless storage of a restricted weapon, and possessing a restricted weapon without a license.
Keeper has been released, police said, pending a court appearance next month.
Little Grand Rapids is a fly-in community about 265 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg near the Ontario boundary. It has an on-reserve population of about 1,370.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said in an emailed statement that it will not comment at this time on any legal matters involving its chiefs.
RCMP said they believe there may be more victims and are asking anyone with information to contact the Little Grand Rapids detachment at 204-397-2249.
More than 1,000 members of Little Grand Rapids, Keeper’s community, were finally given the green light to return home after being evacuated for months due to wildfires in mid-July.
–With files from The Canadian Press