OPP charge North Grenville man with sexual assault

A male is facing sexual assault charges after the Grenville County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a complaint regarding an assault that occurred during the daytime in the village of Merrickville-Wolford.

According to a release from the OPP, the complaint was lodged by a female on Friday, Mar. 3, 2023. As a result of the investigation, John Garrah, 59 years of age, from North Grenville, Ontario, has been charged with the following offences:

• Two counts of sexual assault
• Harassing communications

While documents from the Township of North Grenville state that Garrah is employed as a by-law enforcement officer for the township — or at least was in 2020 — the OPP could not confirm the status of his employment, nor if he was working at the time of the incident.

In response to Kingstonist inquiries, the OPP did confirm that all charges laid against Garrah stem from the same incident involving the same victim. Garrah appeared in court on Friday, Apr. 14, 2023, but the outcome of that hearing was not disclosed.

“It is never too late to report a sexual assault to police,” the OPP stated. “If you have any information about this incident or any other sexual assault, please call the Grenville County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.”