Posted: Aug. 15, 2012 | 4:16 p.m.
A former player for the National Hockey League and Las Vegas Wranglers is accused of molesting his stepdaughter over a four-year period, beginning when the girl was 12 in 2008, and faces nine felony charges.
Michael McBain, who played for the Tampa Bay Lightning between 1997 and 1999 before joining the Wranglers from 2003 to 2008, faces five counts of sexual assault, two counts of lewdness with a child, and two counts of open or gross lewdness.
On Wednesday, McBain's defense lawyer Bob Draskovich said his client hopes to avoid a trial to spare the victim any more hurt.
"He's seeking to resolve this case and he has no interest in putting his stepdaughter or family through the crucible of a prosecution," Draskovich said.
Las Vegas police detailed the sordid case in a six-page arrest report that alleged McBain began sexually assaulting the girl about three years after marrying her mother.
McBain was arrested July 5 when he turned himself into police after recovering from a failed suicide attempt in Oregon, according to the report.
The allegations came to light in May when the victim told her mother. The victim and her mother then met with detectives in June to detail what had occurred.
The victim told police McBain began touching her in a sexual manner at the age of 12 when she would sleep between him and her mother at night.
The report detailed different sexual encounters, including the rape of the girl during a trip to Europe in 2010.
After retiring from playing with the Wranglers in 2008, McBain continued on with the team as an assistant coach during the 2008-2009 season.
According to the report, as a coach, McBain noticed the victim had a crush on a Wrangler player, Jason Krischuk, who has played for the team off and on since 2006, including filling in for an injured player last season. Police believe McBain created a false email account and used it to contact the victim. He would also text her, send lewd photographs and ask about their sexual encounters under the guise of being Krischuk, the report shows.
Police said McBain also left money, as much as $400, for the victim for sending nude photos of herself to the email address he created under the other player's name.
The victim eventually discovered the person emailing and texting her was not Krischuk. Police contacted Krischuk who said the victim had recently contacted him. According to the report, Krischuk said "he believes his friend (McBain) may have pretended to be him to talk to a young girl... Kirschuk said that he had not and was never in conversation with the girl."
The victim told police she held back from telling her mother what had happened because she feared it would devastate her. The victim planned to keep the abuse secret until she could leave home when she turned 18.
After the victim told her mother what happened, McBain fled to Oregon, where he attempted to commit suicide by taking "an excessive amount of pills," according to the report.
McBain was hospitalized and the victim's mother went to stay with him for several days. After several conversations McBain told the mother he had sexually abused the victim and was the one emailing and texting her, according to the arrest report. McBain wrote a "sorry" letter to the victim, which police obtained and put into evidence, along with an email exchange with the victim's mother detailing what happened, the report shows.
A preliminary hearing in the case set for Wednesday was continued until Oct. 2 before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman. Prosecutors will present evidence at the hearing so Zimmerman can decide whether to send the case to trial.
Records show McBain is free on $75,000 bail and under intensive supervision.
McBain, a defenseman from British Columbia, Canada, drifted among minor league hockey teams before being drafted by the Lightning in the second round of the 1995 NHL draft.
He played 64 games in the NHL over two seasons before returning to the minor league circuit and finding a home with the Wranglers.
The Wranglers through a spokeswoman released this statement: "We are saddened to hear about today's news. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the victim in this matter, and we hope for a swift and decisive resolution."
Attempts to contact Kirschuk for a comment for this story were unsuccessful.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.
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