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Accused sex offender remains in custody waiting for bail hearing
By Lethbridge Herald on January 20, 2026.
LETHBRIDGE POLICE SERVICE PHOTO
Skye Atoa was adjourned in court on
Tuesday.By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald
A Lethbridge man accused with multiple sex related offences remains in custody after his bail hearing was adjourned Tuesday in Lethbridge Court.
After being re-arrested for breaching his previous release conditions last week, Skye Atoa, 50, appeared in court Tuesday, but his hearing was adjourned for another week.
Atoa’s lawyer Richard Muenz from Calgary, attended court Tuesday via Webex due to a schedule conflict and ask the court to adjourn his client’s matter until Jan. 26 for him to appear in person and be able to speak with his client.
The Crown shared that Atoa now has seven matters before the court, two of them recently added, which were not discussed during court.
The Crown gave revocation notice and Muenz agreed to speak on that matter during his client’s next court appearance.
During his next court appearance on Jan. 26, Atoa will have a bail hearing for his two new charges, as well as his breach of condition charges and the Crown will be asking for revocation, which means to revoke release conditions for non-compliance.
On Jan. 13, Lethbridge Police re-arrested Atoa for breaching the conditions of a release order approximately half an hour after his release from custody.
According to Lethbridge Police, upon his release, Atoa was required to go to a court-ordered residence, but after being dropped off at the location he made no attempt to comply with the requirements and instead proceeded to a store.
Through proactive investigation, police observed the subject in the store’s perfume aisle in very close proximity to a young female and he was immediately arrested.
Atoa is charged with human trafficking of a person under 18, sexual assault of a child under 16, sexual interference, obtaining sexual services of a child for consideration, indecent exposure to a child under 16, sexual counsel of a child and three counts of unlawful confinement, is now charged for breaching the conditions of a release order.
Atoa’s charges stem from two incidents where vulnerable females were sexually assaulted and unlawfully confined.
On Dec. 19, 2025, police responded to a report that a 14-year-old girl was being held in an apartment along the 500 block of 8 Street South. Upon arrival, a male answered the door, and the girl was located inside in medical distress. The victim was transported to hospital.
Lethbridge Police said the male was later arrested without incident and following the execution of a search warrant, two additional girls aged 15 and 16, were found inside the residence after being unlawfully confined for several hours.
Atoa is also charged in connection with a previous sexual assault in October 2025, where a 24-year-old vulnerable female was sexually assaulted at his residence. In that case, Atoa is charged with sexual assault and obtaining for consideration sexual services/communicating for the purpose of sexual services.
17-16
This guy should not get bail and, once convicted, should spend years in jail.
As Rachel Thomas would like it to be, if multiple charges, one stacked upon the other… so, if there are 5 sexual act charges and each carried 2 years sentence, the criminal would get 10 years, not 2 years for five. Every victim matters.
I have been on a 2 week social media fast, avoiding comments but have watched some of these news releases and had people asking me about this person.
I have watched this person actively hanging overnight with other criminals involved in the sex trade at a service station near my residence for the last couple of years. He deserves to rot in jail!
I applaud LPS for their great work in this matter and know they do not want this person back on the streets . . . I also know that when they know someone is going to re-offend once released, they don’t just open the door and let them go. . . . I personally experienced an event a few years ago, where an individual came into a place we were working as guards and tried to hide out in the washroom as we closed up and refused to leave.
While escorting him out he assaulted one of the guards and we didn’t have to call police, because they were already circling the building, looking for him, knowing he would re-offend after being released just hours earlier.
I know they do everything they can to keep dangerous offenders off the streets and they do not want this guy out. In many cases, their hands are bound by the federal government! But . . . they will use every tool in their toolbox they can to protect the public! We need to legislation in place that doesn’t handcuff police!
I applaud them for their work in this case! I also believe there are more victims and truly hope they come forward so more charges are brought against this person.
Many of the criminals on the streets think they own the streets and can do what they want . . . we must let them know these are not THEIR streets.
The service station near me is very quiet at night now . . . the arrest must have those who hung out overnight there hiding! A plus for my neighbourhood!