CBC Vancouver staffer faces child sexual assault charges after removal from newsroom by police

Papequash had been brought onto the team in October 2022 as an associate producer, and worked with the public broadcaster until his arrest, at which point he was promptly fired.

According to the CBC, Papequash has been charged with one count of sexual interference and one count of sexual assault.

Under the Criminal Code of Canada, sexual interference occurs when someone, "for a sexual purpose, touches, directly or indirectly, with a part of the body or with an object, any part of the body of a person under the age of 16 years."

If found guilty, Papequash could face a minimum of 90 days in prison with a maximum penalty of 14 years behind bars.

The incident allegedly took place in East Vancouver on July 29, the same day Papequash was arrested. He has since been taken to court, and released back onto the streets. His next appearance is scheduled for September 13.

As CTV Vancouver reports, Papequash has since deleted all his social media accounts, and his biography page has been scraped from the CBC website. Clips of his reporting can still be found on YouTube.

Papequash was born in Edmonton, Alberta and has a long history in film and television industry. He was cast in many series, and eventually went on to direct and produce "Canadian Television," which has been described as "a meta-film on his experiences in the film and television industry."

He briefly studied at the Toronto Film School before moving back to Edmonton to attend the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology's Radio and Television Production program.