Barrie Colts billet parent charged with sexual assault
Published
A Barrie Colts billet parent was arrested on May 20 and has been charged with sexual assault, TSN has learned.
A court clerk in Ontario Superior Court in Barrie, Ont., said Ryan Wood was arrested and has a court appearance scheduled on June 30.
Wood has not yet entered a plea, the clerk said.
When reached by TSN on Tuesday, Wood immediately ended the phone call.
Barrie Police Service spokesman Peter Leon confirmed an investigation took place following an alleged incident on May 11. Leon confirmed the arrest date and Wood’s first appearance date.
Colts co-owner Jim Payetta told TSN that Wood had been a billet parent for the Ontario Hockey League junior club over each of the past three seasons.
“We have spoken to all players that have been billeted there in the past,” Payetta wrote to TSN in a text message.
Payetta said he was certain that the alleged victim in the case was not a Colts player, although he did not explain how he knew that.
Payetta said the Colts have severed ties with Wood.
The Klevr Super League, an elite hockey league in Ontario and New York that has teams for players under the age of nine, has suspended both Wood and the Barrie Purple Cobras organization, league president Jamie Stone wrote to TSN in an email.
“The Klevr Super League Inc. confirms that both the Purple Cobras Hockey Association and its owner, Mr. Ryan Wood, have been suspended from all league activities, effective immediately,” Stone wrote in his email on Monday. “This decision was made in direct response to information learned by the KSL about charges laid against Mr. Wood unrelated to any league activity, but which are very concerning in nature.”
Stone wrote the KSL is “actively monitoring any developments concerning new ownership for the Purple Cobras to evaluate any future membership status within the KSL.
“We are committed to ensuring as little disruption as possible for the affected families and athletes during this transition, as appropriate,” Stone wrote.