Pictou County man faces more charges of sexual assault, sexual interference

A man from Pictou County, N.S., faces more than a dozen new charges of sexual assault and sexual interference.

On Tuesday, RCMP said Herbert Allison Best, 68, faces seven counts of sexual assault, four counts of sexual interference, four counts of sexual exploitation and one count of indecent assault. 

Best was already facing charges over two counts of sexual assault involving a youth in Pictou County. Police said when those charges were made public, seven more people came forward with allegations of incidents occurring between 1976 and 2021. 

The first two counts related to incidents at an equestrian facility in Plymouth, about five kilometres south of New Glasgow. RCMP said they think some of the new charges relate to the same facility.

"Because of the facility where the incident occurred at, the public does have access to that facility and youth do meet at this facility, so it's our belief that other persons might have been victims of other incidents," Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said in June.

RCMP encourages anyone with information related to the allegations to contact the Pictou County District RCMP at 902-485-4333. Anyone who wants to remain anonymous can call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Best was released on additional conditions, including that he not have contact with any of the complainants.

Best will appear in Pictou provincial court on Sept. 2. RCMP say the investigation is ongoing.

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