Police issue another warning to sex workers

RCMP in the North Okanagan have issued another warning to sex trade workers to stay away from a certain individual.

“Police are warning any person involved in sex work to not respond to any requests for their services, and not engage in any activity, in the Salmon River Road area. Curtis Wayne Sagmoen, age 41-years, who resides in the Salmon River Road area, is bound by a court imposed probation order, a condition of which specifies; ‘You must not have any contact in any way with any sex trade worker, escort, or person offering paid dating or companion services,’” said Constable Chris Terleski, media relations officer from Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP.

Police issued a similar warning in October 2020, encouraging sex workers to not accept any requests or engage in any activity in the Salmon River Road area involving Sagmoen who has past convictions for violence with women in that industry.

“It has come to our attention that there may be sex workers, new to the area, who are not aware of this individual. In the interest of their safety, we are once again advising anyone who receives a request for sex related services in the area of Salmon River Road, not attend the area, and contact police immediately.”

Terleski said this latest warning is the same as the earlier one.

“We are once again distributing this publicly-known release condition to inform persons who are protected by the court-ordered condition, so that they can take steps to protect themselves,” the officer stated.

Sagmoen is scheduled to resume a trial on a charge of assaulting a peace officer on May 3 in Vernon provincial court. That charge connected to an incident when police were trying to arrest Sagmoen at his home in October 2020.