WINDSOR -- The president of the Windsor Minor Hockey Association has stepped down and several board members followed.
Dean Lapierre announced his resignation at a special board meeting Sunday night after executive vice-president Rick Pare was voted out.
Five other board members also resigned.
Lapierre was the president since 1999 and has been with the organization for 33 years.
“I didn’t want my time to end the way it did, but I walk away with my head held high,” Lapierre tells CTV News.
The resignations follow controversy surrounding volunteer coach Stanley “Trent” Norris, who had an aggravated assault conviction in Florida in 2001.
“Looking at his record, we didn’t think there was any threat to the kids,” says Lapierre.
The Ontario Minor Hockey Association suspended Norris on Friday while it conducts an investigation.
“Now hopefully the OMHA does the final report, he can go back to coaching,” says Lapierre.
LaPierre says the issue created a lot of division amongst the board members.
Last week, two board members with WMHA resigned their positions over the president’s refusal to suspend Norris pending an investigation.
In a statement to CTV News, the OMHA says it follows a specific and detailed criminal record check policy within Canada, which applies to all OMHA members holding the title of team official.
