Vancouver Island fitness instructor charged with sexual assault against a minor
A 58-year-old fitness instructor in Courtenay, B.C., has been charged with sexual assault against a minor and ordered not to have any contact with people under the age of 19 without written permission.
The B.C. Prosecution Service has approved the charge against Richard Zinger, the owner of a kickboxing gym franchise in Courtenay.
Phone calls to the 9Round Kickboxing Fitness franchise in Courtenay went unanswered on Thursday.
"We are no longer associated with Mr. Zinger in any way and his franchise agreement with 9Round has been terminated," a lawyer for the U.S.-based company said in a statement.
"We take such allegations seriously and we support victims of sexual assault."
Investigators believe there may be additional witnesses or others with valuable information in the case.
Mounties in the Comox Valley opened an investigation after allegations surfaced that a young person had been assaulted by a local fitness instructor between September and December of last year.
Zinger was arrested in February and released on strict conditions, including that he not have contact with anyone under 19, and not to be in a position of trust or authority with anyone in that age group.
"The safety of our local youth is one of our top priorities here in the Comox Valley and we are committed to working tirelessly to have an environment in which they can feel safe and free of exploitation," Const. Monika Terragni, spokesperson for the Comox Valley RCMP, said in a statement Thursday, following the approval of the charge.
"We believe there may be witnesses out there with information about these incidents and would like to encourage them to come forward and speak with one of our investigators," Terragni added.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321 and refer to file 2023-819.
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