An 81-year-old former priest was arrested by Manitoba RCMP for the alleged repeated rape and sexual assault of girl in the 1970s.At the time, the victim was aged 11-12, said Russell RCMP in a news release.The female, now in her 60s, reported she had been sexually assaulted multiple times over two years by the priest when she was a parishioner at St. Elijah Romanian Orthodox Church in Lennard, located in western Manitoba.Constantin Turcoane, now of Regina, Saskatchewan was arrested June 13 following a two-year investigation. A warrant had been issued for his arrest on charges of rape and sexual intercourse with a person under age 14. He turned himself in to police.Russell RCMP received a report of the historic sexual assault in March 2022.“The investigation involved locating and taking statements from multiple people, a search of historic church records, and liaising with church-related organizations to obtain further investigative material,” said RCMP.Police believe there are “likely additional survivors” and ask potential victims or anyone with information to contact the Russell detachment at 204 773-2675.Turcoane has been released with an upcoming court date.
