Man charged with indecent act in Nanaimo prowling incident, RCMP say

An RCMP patch is seen on the shoulder of an assistant commissioner, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday, April 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A man who allegedly tried breaking into a Nanaimo, B.C., home last week and committed an indecent act outside has been criminally charged, according to authorities.

Police were called to the residence on the evening of Oct. 16 for reports of an unknown man “prowling” on the premises, the Nanaimo RCMP said in a statement Monday.

Duncan resident David Robert Hope, 52, was arrested nearby and has since been charged with one count of committing an indecent act in a public place and one count of breaking and entering, Mounties said.

“These types of incidents cause understandable concern for many residents,” said Insp. Donovan Tait of the Nanaimo RCMP, in the statement.

“We want to thank the public for their vigilance and for promptly reporting suspicious activity, which played a key role in advancing this investigation.”

According to publicly available court records, Hope is in custody and scheduled for a bail hearing Thursday.