RCMP confirms charges against Raymond teacher

Raymond RCMP released more information Wednesday after a Raymond High School teacher and girls basketball coach facing sexual charges appeared in Lethbridge court on Tuesday.

RCMP confirmed 33-year-old Jentry Jack Salmon was charged on Feb. 17 with two counts of sexual exploitation under Section 153(1) of the Criminal Code.

RCMP say they received information on Oct. 16, 2016, that a local teacher was having inappropriate interactions via text messages and conduct outside the school environment with an RHS student. The name of the victim will not be released.

As the matter is before the courts, RCMP will not release any further information. On Tuesday, an agent appearing for the accused’s lawyer asked for more time to review disclosure from the Crown. The matter was adjourned until next month.

The Herald first broke the story in Wednesday’s edition. On Tuesday, The Herald phoned the Raymond RCMP office after a reporter learned of the charges at the courthouse. The Herald was deferred to the RCMP Media Relations hotline.

RCMP media relations officer Corporal Curtis Peters said he wasn’t aware of the particular file, but said cases like these are difficult to share information on, as it is a small community and they don’t want to risk identifying the victim.

“My concern lies more with the victim more so than the public,” he said. A media release was sent out by the Raymond detachment on Wednesday morning.

In a statement posted on the Westwind School Division website, it says Salmon was suspended in October 2016, pending charges being laid and the outcome of any subsequent court case.

It also states that when Westwind first became aware of the allegations about Salmon, the school division began its own investigation into the matter.

Once the RCMP began its criminal investigation, the statement says Westwind suspended its internal investigation, and have been and will continue to co-operate with the RCMP.

When The Herald spoke with superintendent Ken Sommerfeldt on Tuesday, he said Salmon had not been in the school since October, and that the safety and well-being of their students is the top priority.

When asked about the status of Salmon, Sommerfeldt stated it was a “personnel matter.”

The RHS website still lists Salmon as a teacher and girls basketball coach on its staff directory.

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