Kelowna sex offender released to Kamloops

A Kelowna sex offender has been released in Kamloops.

Police issued a public warning of his release this past weekend, 15 months after law enforcement faced scrutiny for releasing him to Kelowna with no notice.

Taylor Dueck, 30, has been convicted of sexual assault and sexual interference of a person under 16 multiple times including incidents in the Lower Mainland and in Kelowna.

“He represents a serious and imminent risk to persons under the age of 16, including children,” a Kamloops RCMP news release reads.

Last February, Dueck sexually assaulted a young girl at a Kelowna equestrian facility while he was meant to be supervised under a probation order. The supervision lapse and lack of public notice was met with outrage and then-Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth responded by launching an investigation.

Though the results of that investigation were almost entirely withheld in a Freedom of Information request, it ended with the province promising to bolster training for probation officers and the creation of a standardized public notification process.

Dueck was handed a nearly two-year sentence which was shortened with 240 days credit for time-served. It’s not clear precisely when he would be released to Kamloops nor where he will be living, but police did say he would be subject to 24-hour house arrest and consistent monitoring during his probation.

In addition to his house arrest, he’s barred from communicating with anyone under the age of 16 and cannot go anywhere a child might go, like a public park, a school or community centre, according to Kamloops RCMP.

That probation order is set to last three years, but it’s not clear whether his conditions like house arrest may change over time.

The Kamloops RCMP Privacy Act notice said Dueck is a dangerous offender and anyone who sees or knows of Dueck violating his conditions is asked to call 9-1-1 immediately.