Former coach arrested on sex charges involving teen boys in Edmonton decades ago

EDMONTON — A former track coach and official from Ottawa has been arrested on sex crime charges involving five teenage boys who were with the Edmonton Olympic Track and Field Club decades ago.

The Edmonton Police Service says Kenneth Porter, who is 72, was a coach in Edmonton at the time of the allegations between 1976 and 1980.

Porter has been charged with five counts of indecent assault and five counts of gross indecency based on the Criminal Code at the time.

Police say the charges are linked to track meets that were held in Calgary and Edmonton.

Porter has been released from custody and is to appear in Edmonton court on Dec. 7.

Edmonton police say they started the investigation in April 2019, the same month the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club announced the expulsion of Porter from the organization.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2020.

The Canadian Press