A Mission man is charged with a several offences

in connection with the kidnapping, sexual assault and assault of a 17-year-old female.

Clayton Robert Pierce, 20, is charged with 18 offences including two counts of kidnapping, one count of sexual assault and an attempt to choke someone to overcome resistance, as well as numerous various types of assault and gun charges.

Insp. Richard Konarski, head of the Mission RCMP, said Pierce and his victim were in a relationship.

The numerous charges were laid after the detachment's dedicated domestic violence investigator did further work around an earlier assault charge.

"A Pandora's box of stuff opened up," said Konarski.

"Things that were not being said and other incidents all of a sudden came flooding out."

The additional charges are the result of the concentrated attention Mission RCMP is paying to domestic violence cases, he said.

Once the scale of the assaults against the teenager were determined, additional officers were immediately assigned to the priority case, said Konarski.

According to court records online, Pierce was originally charged with assault for an incident on Jan. 16, 2012. He was charged for an assault with a weapon and breach on March 1.

The greatest number of charges, including the sexual assault charge, kidnapping and gun charges, was linked to a Nov. 1 incident.

Pierce is in custody and is scheduled to appear for all the charges in Abbotsford provincial court on Dec. 10.

The RCMP is working with a Crown counsel who specializes in domestic assault files. Police are also working on a safety plan for the young woman, particularly upon the suspect's release, said Konarski.

"We'll continue to keep him on our radar," he said.

RBaker@abbotsfordtimes.com