On June 13, 2024, Russell RCMP arrested 81-year-old Constantin Turcoane of Regina, Saskatchewan in relation to a sexual assault dating back to the early 1970s, when he was a priest at a church in Lennard, Manitoba.
Russell RCMP received a report of an historic sexual assault on March 16, 2022. A female in her 60s reported that she had been sexually assaulted multiple times over the course of two years by the priest when she was a parishioner at St. Elijah Romanian Orthodox Church. At the time of the assaults, the survivor was 11-12 years of age.
The investigation involved locating and taking statements from multiple people, a search of historic church records, and liaising with church-related organizations to obtain further investigative material. A warrant of arrest was issued for Turcoane for Rape (1970) and Sexual Intercourse Under 14 (1970). Turcoane turned himself into police. He has been released with a court date.
Police do believe there are further survivors and ask them to call the Russell RCMP Detachment at 204-773-2675.