A 58-year-old man has been charged with sexual assault against a youth and investigators believe there may be additional witnesses or people with information valuable to the investigation.
In June 2023, the BC Prosecution Service approved a charge of sexual assault against Richard Zinger of Courtenay.
In January, the Comox Valley RCMP began an investigation after allegations that a youth had been assaulted by a local fitness instructor. The offences allegedly occurred between September and December 2022.
According to his Linkedin page, Zinger is/was the owner/operator of 9Round Fitness in Courtenay.
On June 21, the following post was published on the gym’s Facebook Page:
“Hi all
It saddens me to have put my life into this gym and now must close the doors effective immediately
So sorry for all those that love this workout
You will be missed greatly”
While the post was not signed, responses of condolences to “Richard” were posted by clientele.
The Courtenay 9Round Fitness website has been deactivated.
In February 2023, the fitness instructor was arrested and released on strict conditions including not to have any contact with anyone under the age of 19 without written permission and not to be in a position of trust or authority towards a person under the age of 19 years.
“The safety of 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,” said Const. Monika Terragni, media relations officer with the Comox Valley RCMP.
“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.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the Comox Valley RCMP at (250) 338-1321 and refer to file 2023-819.
photos@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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