Previously convicted sex offender faces new sexual assault charges in Montreal

A Montreal police badge is seen during a press conference in Montreal on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

A Saskatchewan man with a previous conviction for aggravated sexual assault has been arrested in Montreal and is now facing new sexual assault charges.

Kenton Arnold Desjarlais, 35, appeared at a Montreal courthouse on Monday after allegedly assaulting two people on July 12, according to court documents.

He is also facing a third charge of committing an indecent act in public in the presence of several people.

In 2017, the accused, who is HIV-positive, was sentenced to about nine years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual assault in Regina.

The man, who is from Piapot First Nation, has a lengthy criminal record.

Prior to his incarceration, he had lived a criminal lifestyle from a young age that included theft, drug and alcohol abuse, and assault, according to the 2017 judgment.

The judgment also included a pre-sentence report that concluded Desjarlais had a high overall risk of general reoffending.

He also scored in the top five to 10 per cent of sex offenders in a test designed to assist in predicting sexual recidivism.

La Presse reported that Desjarlais was released last spring and had recently been living in an Indigenous shelter in downtown Montreal.

The bail hearing has been scheduled for Thursday at the Montreal courthouse.