Indecent exposure allegations a lesson for parents: police
A man accused of exposing himself to students in a West End schoolyard on Tuesday afternoon was arrested milling around the area the next day.
Staff at General Wolfe School, which has students from grades 7-9, called city police about the incident at about 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Winnipeg School Division superintendent Matt Henderson said in a statement.
Staff told officers a man had entered the Banning Street school's grounds and exposed himself to several children and made an 'inappropriate request' of the victims, police said.
Staff quickly intervened and got the man off the property before calling for law enforcement, said Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Stephen Spencer.
Child abuse investigators took over and identified a suspect before arresting him shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday on Banning Street.
'It's concerning for the children at the school that may not know exactly how to handle it,' said Spencer of the incident. 'Luckily there was teachers on site there to take over the situation and deal with it and make sure it ended as quick as it could.'
Spencer said the incident serves as a reminder for parents to have conversations with their kids about safety, so they can have plans in place when danger arises.
The suspect is known to hang around in the area of the school.
'From what I understand, the individual is known to the students and the teachers,' said Spencer.
Kevin Tibay Maliwanag, 33, is charged with invitation to sexual touching and indecent exposure to a person under 16.
He was released on court conditions that include no contact with anyone under 18, lest he face further charges.
Maliwanag has a minor criminal record with prior convictions for forcible entry, mischief to property and breaching court orders.
Court heard at a 2021 sentencing hearing he had been homeless for several months and an addiction to methamphetamine had been a 'long-standing' issue for him for about five years at the time.
'When he is high… he hallucinates (and) is a completely different person and unpredictable,' a Crown prosecutor said a family member told her.
The statement from the school division's superintendent did not address questions posed by the Free Press, including whether counsellors or other supports were brought in for students and if officials plan to review security of the school grounds.
'All students and staff were safe,' said the statement. 'WSD encourages all our families throughout the school year to discuss safety protocols with their child while walking to and from school.'
— with files from Dean Pritchard
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik PinderaReporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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