The Calgary Police Service (CPS) has charged one man in an investigation into the alleged kidnapping, drugging, and sexual assault of multiple women from the area.. Property inspectionProperty inspection .“Over the past several weeks, this investigation has evolved rapidly,” said CPS District 4 General Investigations Unit Acting Staff Sgt. Shelby Stewart in a Monday press release..“We are grateful to the victims who have come forward and trusted us with this investigation and ask anyone else with information to contact police.”.The release said CPS began an operation after several allegations a man was targeting women who worked in the sex trade in Calgary in March. It said between December 2021 and March 2023, at least three women were believed to have been approached by a man on 19 Avenue SE in Forest Lawn, where they were allegedly drugged, taken to a rural property east of the city, and physically and sexually assaulted..CPS with the assistance from the RCMP executed a search warrant on a rural property located on Vale View Road in Rocky View County, AB, on Thursday. Officers took one man, a tenant of the property, into custody..Rocky View County resident Richard Robert Mantha, 59, has been charged with one count of kidnapping, two counts of forcible confinement, two counts of administering a noxious substance, one count of sexual assault, two counts of sexual assault with a weapon, one count of sexual assault causing bodily harm, one count of assault with a weapon, two counts of uttering threats, one count of pointing a firearm, and three outstanding warrants for sexual assault, assault causing bodily harm, and fail to attend court..Mantha will next appear in court on Wednesday..Due to the cross-jurisdictional nature of these crimes, the release said CPS will be working closely with partners in the RCMP. It added the search of the property is expected to be completed on Tuesday, and this investigation remains ongoing..CPS has engaged resources from across the department and from partner agencies to ensure all victims have access to wrap around supports..Anyone with information about this case or who is looking to report a crime can contact police by calling (403) 266-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 222-8477. .CPS warned the public about a string of sexual assaults in the northwestern part of the city in November..READ MORE: Calgary police seek suspect in multiple sex attacks.It was believed the suspect is responsible for at least four sexual assaults taking place over the last month in the northwestern communities of Dalhousie and Ranchlands..The first victim exited a Calgary Transit bus near the intersection of Ranchlands Boulevard and Ranchero Rise and began walking towards her residence. An unknown man grabbed the woman from behind and sexually touched her without consent.
