Disbelief in Nipawin over sex assault charges against former hockey coach Don Mark

The mayor of Nipawin says people in the community are reacting with disbelief over allegations against former hockey coach Thomas Donald Mark, who was known as Don Mark.On Friday, RCMP announced they had charged Mark in relation to decades-old sexual assaults. The earliest charges come from the mid-1980s. RCMP also noted Mark was a foster parent but an official from the province's ministry of social services could not provide details about when he began caring for children. Investigators said they released the information about the charges, and a photo of Mark, so other possible victims could come forward. Later on Friday, the 72-year-old was found dead in his home in nearby Codette, Sask.Police have not released details about how Mark died, but said foul play is not suspected. Dave Trann, the mayor of Nipawin, said the feeling in the community is in disbelief over the charges against Mark."No one would've suspected that Don Mark would've been accused of those crimes," Trann said. "Don's been in this community a long time. And that's the only way to describe it. No one had any idea."RCMP said they were still investigating Mark's death and the allegations against him.Sgt. Barry Thomas said investigators still want to hear from people who may have been victims of abuse."Not only to learn the whole story of what may have happened in the last 30 to 40 years, but it's essential they come forward for themselves so we can help them get some help, to have them work with our victim services," Thomas said.He added that officers have heard from additional people related to the assault allegations, since Friday."Learning that kind of information, we may be able to prevent it from ever happening again," Thomas said. "[We may] identity some risk factors that were ignored."Thomas said information from victims could also be useful to people, today.Trann said it will take some time before the town can come to grips with the alleged crimes."I'm not a personal friend of Don's," he said. "I know of him, know where he worked. And I knew his family a bit and it was a shock. In the coffee shops in Nipawin, everybody is just in disbelief." The mayor of Nipawin says people in the community are reacting with disbelief over allegations against former hockey coach Thomas Donald Mark, who was known as Don Mark. On Friday, RCMP announced they had charged Mark in relation to decades-old sexual assaults. The earliest charges come from the mid-1980s. RCMP also noted Mark was a foster parent but an official from the province's ministry of social services could not provide details about when he began caring for children. Investigators said they released the information about the charges, and a photo of Mark, so other possible victims could come forward. Later on Friday, the 72-year-old was found dead in his home in nearby Codette, Sask. Police have not released details about how Mark died, but said foul play is not suspected. Dave Trann, the mayor of Nipawin, said the feeling in the community is in disbelief over the charges against Mark. "No one would've suspected that Don Mark would've been accused of those crimes," Trann said. "Don's been in this community a long time. And that's the only way to describe it. No one had any idea." RCMP said they were still investigating Mark's death and the allegations against him. Sgt. Barry Thomas said investigators still want to hear from people who may have been victims of abuse. "Not only to learn the whole story of what may have happened in the last 30 to 40 years, but it's essential they come forward for themselves so we can help them get some help, to have them work with our victim services," Thomas said. He added that officers have heard from additional people related to the assault allegations, since Friday. "Learning that kind of information, we may be able to prevent it from ever happening again," Thomas said. "[We may] identity some risk factors that were ignored." Thomas said information from victims could also be useful to people, today. Trann said it will take some time before the town can come to grips with the alleged crimes. "I'm not a personal friend of Don's," he said. "I know of him, know where he worked. And I knew his family a bit and it was a shock. In the coffee shops in Nipawin, everybody is just in disbelief."