A Winnipeg police vehicle is photographed at a scene in Winnipeg, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski)
Winnipeg police have arrested a high-risk sex offender and charged him with multiple offences.
Officers attended a hotel in Winnipeg’s Niakawa neighbourhood on April 7, where they arrested 42-year-old Matthew Barry Stoesz.
Police say Stoesz fled into a hotel suite with a large dog, resisted arrest, and attempted to grab a knife. The dog also lunged at officers before both were subdued using less-lethal force. The dog was safely secured by the Animal Services Agency and treated for injuries. Stoesz was taken to hospital, medically cleared, and detained.
Initially charged with sexual interference, weapons offences, and assaulting a peace officer, further investigation revealed additional offences between 2022 and 2025. On April 29, he was charged with 13 new offences including sexual assault, forcible confinement, identity fraud, and animal cruelty. He remains in custody.
