Police charge male with criminal harassment

Lethbridge Police have charged a 30-year-old male with criminal harassment in connection with six separate incidents where females were approached and solicited.

Between April 9 and 15, police responded to multiple complaints involving an unknown, suspicious male approaching young girls and women, asking them to hang out, attempting to persuade them to enter his vehicle and in some of the incidents, offering cash if they would comply. The 10 victims who came forward ranged in age from 11 to 45. In all cases the females immediately declined the male’s advances, but he continued to persist, either repeating or restating his solicitations multiple times, causing the victims to fear for their safety and leave the area.

Five of the incidents occurred on the westside and one on the southside. In most cases, the male was inside his vehicle and would pull up alongside the victims to speak to them, but in one instance he was reported soliciting staff and customers inside a grocery store where he was recorded on video surveillance.

Numerous posts about the male and suspicious activity were shared on social media and he was subsequently identified and arrested.

Yahya Mehmet, 30, of Lethbridge, is charged with criminal harassment.

Following a Judicial Interim Release hearing, Mehmet was released from custody with multiple conditions including no contact with the victims, a weapons prohibition and no contact with any person under the age of 16 with the exception of customers at his workplace or those employed at other places of business as long as the contact is necessary to conduct transactions a customer.

He is scheduled to appear in court May 17.