A former junior hockey coach had a voyeurism charge stayed against him, on Tuesday, in exchange for a peace bond with the court.
William “Bill” Rotheisler appeared in Penticton’s Provincial Court on Jan. 16, for what had been scheduled to be the first of three days trial.
Instead, the Crown prosecutor and Rotheisler’s defence announced that they had come to an agreement on a joint submission.
READ MORE: Trial for former hockey coach accused of voyeurism in Penticton set for 2024
The charge of secretly observing and/or recording nudity in a private place in Penticton in July of 2022 was stayed, and in exchange, Rotheisler received a peace bond on the basis that there were reasonable grounds for concern that he could commit one or more sexual offences under the criminal code, including one of those against children.
Following the court appearance, Rotheisler released a statement to the media.
“This was the culmination of a painfully long year and a half deep dive into my personal and private life,” reads a portion of the statement. “I have volunteered into what is sometimes called a specialized peace bond to appease the court and as a safeguard against many hypotheticals, many unrelated, which were detailed in court today. I maintain my stance that I do not admit to any criminal offence.
“It is hard for any person to comprehend the mental state that I was in when this accusation happened. Few know the actual seriousness of my last few years where I didn’t just have cancer, I had one of the absolute worst forms of it at the worst stage of it. … It was not until the summer of 2022, literally the weeks leading up to this life-changing accusation, that I finally began seeing progress that I could be proud of. It took spending between five to six hours a day at the gym to do this and was always my only purpose for my time spent there. This commitment to my health cost me my job that spring, and ultimately was a key contributor to costing my ‘life’ since that time.”
The peace bond will be for 12 months and prohibits Rotheisler from going to areas like public parks or swimming pools where minors under the age of 16 can be expected to be, and from having any contact with children.
He will also be banned from possessing any phone capable of taking photos, and any laptop outside of one used at work.
Defence noted multiple times during the court appearance on Jan. 16 that there were multiple Charter issues that would have been raised had the matter gone to trial.
As part of the joint submission, the cell phone that had been seized by the RCMP during their investigation was forfeited.
Rotheisler has been a coach for junior hockey in B.C. for many years, including with the Princeton Posse, the Castlegar Rebels, the Comox Valley Glacier Kings, and most recently the Creston Valley Thunder Cats.
According to Rotheisler’s LinkedIn, he was also a program director and coach at the Okanagan Hockey Academy for a number of years.
He is no longer coaching but instead working for his family’s business.
Rotheisler’s full statement can be found below:
This morning the charge against me was rightfully dropped before my scheduled trial was to begin. This was the culmination of a painfully long year and a half deep dive into my personal and private life. As my lawyer said, I maintained my not guilty plea to the charge, and we agreed not to proceed with a lengthy trial that we are confident was headed towards an acquittal. So, in the interest of certainty, I leave court today, rightfully with no criminal conviction or record. I have volunteered into what is sometimes called a specialized peace bond to appease the court and as a safeguard against many hypotheticals, many unrelated, which were detailed in court today. I maintain my stance that I do not admit to any criminal offence.
It is hard for any person to comprehend the mental state that I was in when this accusation happened. Few know the actual seriousness of my last few years where I didn’t just have cancer, I had one of the absolute worst forms of it at the worst stage of it. It was not a chance that I would not survive it, it was a strong probability. To survive, my health and mind took a thrashing. It was not until the summer of 2022, literally the weeks leading up to this life changing accusation, that I finally began seeing progress that I could be proud of. It took spending between five to six hours a day at the gym to do this and was always my only purpose for my time spent there. This commitment to my health cost me my job that spring, and ultimately was a key contributor to costing my “life” since that time.
Thank you to so many family, friends and former players that put their own reputations on the line to show their support, and I hope you feel vindicated today. You will always have my support as well. Despite everything, I have learned a lot about people during this, and I am more aware and committed to creating a positive and safe place for myself, and anyone that I am blessed to come across in my life.
