A former Mountie has been arrested on allegations of sexually assaulting eight youths when he coached minor hockey and baseball in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The RCMP in British Columbia said 58-year-old Alan John Davidson was arrested without incident in Calgary on Thursday.

The alleged sexual assaults took place in Clearwater, B.C., before Davidson became an RCMP officer in 1982, the Mounties said.

All the alleged victims were males under the age of 18, police said.

The RCMP investigation began in November 2012, when an adult male approached the Burnaby, B.C. detachment and alleged that he had been sexually assaulted by his hockey coach in the early 1980s, when he was a high school student.

The victim raised the possibility that other members of his team may have also been assaulted.

After police began looking into the allegation, a second man came forward to say that he had been sexually assaulted by his baseball coach decades ago.

Since then, a total of eight victims have come forward, Supt. Brendan Fitzpatrick told reporters Friday. The RCMP are urging any other potential victims, or anyone who may have information, to contact them. The dedicated tip line is 1-877-687-3377.

The RCMP said Davidson lived in Clearwater and coached sports at the time of the alleged assaults, but left town in 1981.

In 1982, he became an RCMP constable and worked in several communities in Alberta and Saskatchewan over the years. Police have listed the places where he lived and worked in a news release.

Davidson retired from the force in 1996. He was working for the sheriff’s office in Calgary at the time of his arrest, but RCMP did not disclose the nature of his employment there.

“At this time we have no information and are unaware of any alleged offences that may have occurred during his service as a police officer,” Fitzpatrick said. 

The RCMP said Davidson coached minor sports “in some capacity” from the 1970s until about 2008.

Davidson has been charged with eight counts of indecent assault. He is scheduled to appear in a Kamloops, B.C. court on April 3.

Speaking with reporters Friday afternoon, former NHL hockey player Sheldon Kennedy also urged other potential victims to call the RCMP’s dedicated tip line.

“We know a lot of people suffer in silence,” Kennedy said, adding coming forward is only the first step in a journey toward recovery.

“I think one of the biggest things that people need to know is you’re not alone and your voice will be heard,” he said.

Kennedy has been a high-profile advocate for victims of sexual abuse after going public years ago with his own story about childhood abuse at the hands of his former coach, Graham James.