Fort Simpson (Oct 27/06) - Fort Simpson RCMP are seeing two trends they said are putting residents at risk.

In the last six weeks, the RCMP have seen three to four incidents of reported sexual assaults in which each of the victims were unconscious because of drinking too much alcohol.

Teens from the North are posting personal information and pictures on a web site called Nexopia.com, making them vulnerable to Internet predators, according to police. - photo illustration by Jessica Gray

"The victims are passing out at parties," said RCMP Sgt. Cliff McKay.

All of the victims are young women in their 20s.

In some of the cases, the women woke up during intercourse," an act the victims said they didn't consent to.

In one of the cases, the victim told police she believed she was assaulted by more than one person.

McKay said excessive amounts of alcohol can make a person vulnerable.

"It's a crime of opportunity for guys attending these parties," he said.

It's also very hard to investigate or prosecute these cases because alcohol fogs the memory, making it difficult to identify perpetrators.

McKay is asking people to be more cautious when drinking, and to avoid a potentially dangerous situation.

The RCMP are also investigating a web site called Nexopia.com after a parent brought it to their attention.

Several teens from Fort Simpson and other communities in the North are posting their full names, pictures, and locations on the site.

Some of the messages and pictures are sexually suggestive, and depict alcohol consumption.

McKay said the teens can become targets for Internet predators or pedophiles.

"To (the teens), it may be just a game," said McKay adding, "We're not immune to these types of incidents in the North."

Warnings are posted on the main page of the web site, cautioning users about the potential risks of posting information on a site like this.

A warning for parents is also posted.