A man who worked for nine years as a substitute teacher in the St. John’s metro area has been charged with multiple sex offenses in New Brunswick.
Stephen Blackwood, 37, faces two charges of sexual assault, two charges of sexual interference, one charge of assault and one charge of violating court rules.
The RCMP in New Brunswick is appealing to parents to talk to their children and says they believe more children may be involved. This is also the case in Newfoundland and Labrador, where Blackwood taught at various schools from 2013 to 2022.
“We also want people to know that a sexual assault complaint can be made at any time and there is no statute of limitations on how far back the assault occurred,” said Cpl. Hans Oelette. “If you have been the victim of sexual misconduct, please contact us. People listen to you and believe you.”
Ouellette confirmed that the RCMP in New Brunswick had been in contact with their counterparts in Newfoundland and Labrador, who in turn alerted the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary in St John’s.
Blackwood is a content creator on YouTube with over 30,000 subscribers. He often streams videos of himself playing video games, including Fortnite. He’s also posted more than a dozen videos of himself dancing with kids at public swimming areas and water parks.
Police in Moncton began investigating Blackwood in November after reports that a man had been recording videos of children at four different hotel pools. They arrested Blackwood on November 12 and later charged him with assault, sexual assault and sexual assault.
On December 2, Blackwood was accused of violating court orders after a local business called the police. It is not clear what exactly constituted an injury.
On February 2, he was charged with sexual assault and sexual interference in Moncton “in connection with an incident at a school in November 2022,” according to the RCMP.
Police say Blackwood worked as a teaching assistant in New Brunswick between October 26 and November 4.
Blackwood, who remained in custody, is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing on Friday.
The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District said it could not comment on the matter as it is pending in court.
“In general, however, we can advise that in addition to any investigations conducted by the district, concerns about inappropriate behavior by staff toward students are promptly escalated to local law enforcement for investigation and follow-up,” the district said in a statement.
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