KIENAN HEBERT - 3 yo/ Accused: Randall Hopley - British Columbia CAN / US Northwest alerted

Police have issued an amber alert for a missing three-year-old B.C. boy, and say he may be with a convicted criminal.

Kienan Hebert of Sparwood, B.C. is believed to have left his family home off Highway 43 some time overnight. He was discovered missing at 8:30 a.m.

An amber alert was issued late Tuesday afternoon. RCMP say the little boy may be with 46-year-old Randall Hopley, who drives a 1987 brown Toyota Camry with the B.C. licence plate 098RAL.

Hopley has previous convictions for sexual assault, assault, theft and break and enter.

Police say that Hopley and Hebert have no previous relationship. Hopley is white and has dark hair.

Hebert is believed to be wearing Scooby Doo boxer shorts and could be carrying up to three blankets with him.

"There's a history that Kienan does sleepwalk, but in past incidents, he's never exited the house. Other than that, there's not much else (to explain his disappearance)," RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said.

RCMP officers started a search effort including an air services helicopter and a search dog unit, but have not found any sign of the boy.

Anyone with information on Hebert's whereabouts is asked to call the Elk Valley RCMP at 250-425-6233.


http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110907/cgy_amber_alert_110907/20110907/?hub=CalgaryHome

Poster's Note: This CANADIAN Amber Alert has now stretched into the US in the upper Northwest.

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Washington authorities have been alerted to an amber alert in British Columbia for 3-year-old boy.

Police are looking for Kienan Herbert.

They believe 46-year-old Randal Hopley may have something to do
with the boy's disappearance. Hopley is a convicted sex offender.

The wanted man is white with brown hair, brown eyes and a birthmark
along his hairline. He may be driving a brown 1987 Toyota Camry with
the B.C. license plate 098-RAL.

The little boy has short red hair and was last seen wearing Scooby Doo boxer shorts.
http://www.king5.com/news/Wash-authorities-alerted-in-BC-amber-alert-129512833.html

SPARWOOD, B.C. — Search and rescue officials in southeastern B.C.
expanded their search pattern Friday for a three-year-old boy who
vanished from his bed earlier this week.
Kienan Hebert disappeared from his home in Sparwood on Wednesday, sparking an Amber Alert.
While police continue the hunt for
Kienan and convicted sex offender Randall Hopley, 46, hundreds of
volunteers are still scouring the area around the family home on the
chance that he might have wandered off.
A search official said a 600-metre
radius around the Hebert home has been checked at least five times
already and now the efforts will move further out to an area where it’s
less likely that Kienan could have reached on foot.
At a local church, volunteers were placed into teams of 24, each member
yelling out ‘aye’ as their names were called out.
The street to the Hebert residence
has been closed to all but local traffic but the bright yellow police
tape surrounding the home has now been removed, signalling that the
forensic investigation there is now complete.
Sparwood Coun. Lois Halko said she is
proud of the community’s efforts. She said it is also a sobering lesson
to those who thought Sparwood was far removed from the world’s social ills.
“We almost feel we’re invincible.
There’s really nothing here to raise red flags about anything
significantly of danger in our community,” she said.
“So you go along thinking life is pretty good, we’re pretty safe so this gives us
a huge feeling of vulnerability.”
Kienan’s father, Paul, said his large family is “100 per cent sure” the boy will be returned unharmed.
“As time prolongs, we’ll see where that takes us,” the emotional father said Thursday evening.
“We have to be optimistic.”
He said the family, which includes
Kienan and his seven siblings, has already been down a long road with
their son Caleb, who has undergone three heart surgeries.
“Now with Kienan it’s the same feeling. A life-and-death scenario and
we’re just taking it moment by moment.”
The family, whose children range in age between two to 23,
moved from Peace River, Alta., about four months ago.
Halko said she spoke with Hebert and was amazed at what she witnessed.
“The family has a very strong faith
and I honestly think that’s what is carrying them through right now. It
amazes me that they have the strength to even be talking to people. He
said he was fine, the children were fine, but they’re obviously distraught.”

Hopley is a convicted sex offender with a long criminal record for other offences,
including break and enter and assault.
Charges laid in November 2007 for unlawful confinement and attempted abduction of a child under 16 years
old were stayed over concerns about the evidence, a spokesman for the B.C. Crown has said.
Hopley’s sexual assault conviction was from an incident in the mid-1980s.
The RCMP said Hopley has no known
connection to the boy, who vanished sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday
morning, but they want to speak with him. Hopley is believed to be
driving a brown 1987 Toyota Camry with the licence plate 098RAL.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1051397--search-area-for-missing-3-year-old-b-c-boy-being-expanded?bn=1

The most sought after vehicle in the B.C. Interior was reported at the Safeway store on Fortune Drive Thursday night.

Kamloops RCMP responded by setting up a perimeter throughout the city
after a citizen reported seeing the brown 1987 Toyota Camry sought in
connection with the disappearance of three-year-old Kienan Hebert of
Sparwood.

Police have been searching for Randall Hopley, 46, to talk to him about the case.

Just before 8 p.m. Thursday, RCMP received a call that the car was
being driven through the store's parking lot headed west. The
description and partial licence plate were a match. A lone white male
was seen driving.

The person who saw the car went home and called police.

Police kept the perimeter up for one and a half hours while other officers did patrols, but the Toyota was not found.

The young boy disappeared from his home some time between Tuesday
night and Wednesday morning, when his parents discovered his empty bed.

Police have said Hopley has no known connection to the child, but he
does have a criminal record. The Camry's licence plate is 098 RAL.
http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20110909/KAMLOOPS0101/110909873/-1/kamloops01/police-respond-to-possible-sighting-of-amber-alert-vehicle

A search official says a 600 metre radius around the Hebert home has
now been checked at least five times. Crews are now expected to move
out further to areas where it's less likely that the boy could have
walked on his own.

Mounties have not publically said why they believe Hopley is
connected to the disappearance, but a police source told CTV News that
surveillance video captured Hebert along with a person of interest in
the case.

RCMP have denied that claim.

Hopley, an Elk Valley resident, was just released from prison last
week and has a lengthy criminal history, including a conviction for
sexual assault.

He was charged with the abduction of a child and unlawful confinement in 2008, but those charges were later dropped.

Hopley drives a 1987 brown Toyota Camry with the B.C. licence plate 098RAL. Police warn the public not to approach the vehicle.

A mid-1990s brown Toyota Camry was discovered Thursday afternoon near
140 Mile House, but police have determined that it was a stolen vehicle
unconnected to the Amber Alert.

Hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil for Kienan late Thursday night.

After a moment of silence, town Coun. Margaret McKie asked local
residents to turn on their porch light to "light the way for him to come
home."

"That's just a symbol," she said. "It's a hard knock for our
community to have a little three-year-old that's been away from home."
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110909/bc_kienan_search_110909/20110909/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

Despite many public tips and at least two concentrated searches on
Friday, a three-year-old B.C. boy and his suspected abductor are still
missing.

Police believe Randall Hopley, 46, took three-year-old Kienan Hebert from his home in southeastern B.C. An Amber Alert for Hebert has been in place since Wednesday evening.

Vehicles were lined up at several RCMP roadblocks in northern B.C. on
Friday evening. Police told drivers they were following up on a
sighting of a hitchhiker with a little boy, said Paula Pawlovich.

The RCMP were also handing out flyers with photos of Hopley and Hebert on them, she told CBC News.

Pawlovich, who is driving from Whitehorse to Prince George with her
daughter, said they've gone through four roadblocks in two hours as
police stop each vehicle. One was on the Alaska Highway, north of Dawson
Creek, and the others were on Highway 97.

Kienan Hebert was last seen at bedtime
on Tuesday evening in his Sparwood, B.C. home. RCMP

Earlier on Friday, a public tip prompted a police search of a B.C. ferry.

The Coastal Celebration was en route from Tsawwassen, south of
Vancouver, to Swartz Bay, north of Victoria, on Friday afternoon when
Delta police requested that it return to the terminal, said Mark
Stefanson, a BC Ferries spokesman.
Search of ferry fruitless

A
passenger had called police with a general description of a car that
matched Hopley's vehicle, said Delta police Sgt. Sharlene Brooks. She
said investigators felt they had to do due diligence and search the
ship. Police did not find the boy, Hopley or his brown 1987 Toyota Camry
with B.C. licence plate 098 RAL.

Christine McAvoy, a passenger on the vessel, told CBC News the captain announced the detour was linked with the Amber Alert.

Hebert vanished from his home in Sparwood, B.C., sometime overnight
Tuesday. His parents awoke the next day to find him missing. Since then,
hundreds of people have been scouring the area and the surrounding
woods of the Elk Valley.

Police continue to hunt for Hopley, a Sparwood resident who has a long criminal history,
including convictions for breaking and entering and sexual assault.
Hopley's elderly mother, Margaret Fink, pleaded on Friday for him to
turn himself in.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2011/09/09/bc-hopley-missing-kidnap-kienan-ferry.html

SPARWOOD, B.C. — The mother of a convicted sex offender wanted in
the disappearance of a Sparwood, B.C. boy is begging her son to turn
himself in.
Margaret Fink says she hadn't seen her son, Randall Hopley, for
about a year when he dropped by her house in nearby Fernie on Tuesday.

The next day, the 46-year old Hopley became the focus of an
intense manhunt after police issued an Amber Alert for three-year old
Kienan Hebert.

The little boy was last seen when he was put to bed Tuesday evening.

Police have yet to say what made Hopley a possible suspect in the case.

Hopley has a lengthy criminal record, but a tearful Fink told The Canadian Press yesterday that he's been a good son to her.

Like Fink, the Mounties are also urging Hopley to come forward.

There've been no confirmed sightings of Kienan or Hopley, despite a number of public tips.

The massive search for the two will resume this morning.
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110910/appeal-from-mother-bc-suspect-110910/

The father of a 3-year-old B.C. boy who went missing early Wednesday
morning from his hometown of Sparwood made a public plea for his son's
safe return on Saturday afternoon.

"To whoever has Kienan right now, we're just asking: Please bring
Kienan to a safe place right now, like a gas station or a store parking
lot where he is visibly seen, and you could just drop him off there.
Walk away," Paul Hebert said.

His wife, Tammy, sat beside him during the police-organized news conference at 1 p.m. MT.

'Kienan can't speak. He can't tell us who you are'—Paul Hebert, Kienan's father

Paul Hebert, addressing the alleged abductor, told him he could still get away as long as Kienan is found safe.

"Kienan can't speak. He can't tell us who you are. This is your chance right now to get away," Hebert said.

"All we want is Kienan to come back with us and to be safe in our arms again."
Missing for three days

The Heberts' son was last seen when they put him to bed Tuesday night. Police issued an Amber Alert on Wednesday afternoon, naming 46-year-old Randall Hopley as a suspect in Kienan's disappearance.

There was some initial delay in issuing the Amber Alert because the
boy had a history of sleepwalking, police said earlier in the week.
Police have since made adamant statements that Kienan was removed from
the house by someone.

"Investigators can state that this is a case of child abduction. It
is not a matter of a child walking away from the home," B.C. RCMP Cpl.
Dan Moskaluk said at Saturday's news conference.

"Kienan was abducted."

Moskaluk said that police also learned that another child was
targeted, perhaps by the same individual who took Kienan, at around the
same time.

"The RCMP is also investigating a second attemped abduction, which
occurred earlier on Wednesday, early Wednesday morning, in Sparwood
prior to Kienan being abducted," Moskaluk said.

"However, the person was unable to successfully lure the child out of that home."

Moskaluk said that upwards of 60 investigators were working on the case.
Earlier sightings fruitless

Possible
sightings of the pair or of the suspect vehicle, a 1987 brown Toyota
Camry, were reported in Northern B.C. and on BC Ferries. Nothing came
from those reports.

On Saturday, RCMP extended the Amber Alert into Alberta and hundreds of volunteers began combing the woods in and around Sparwood.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/09/10/bc-missing-boy-sparwood-press-conference.html

Police say three-year-old Kienan Hebert has been found safe and sound.

RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk says the missing child has been returned by the suspect in the case.

Moskaluk says via Twitter: "Kienan Hebert 3yr old Sparwood child is
safe and sound. Within 12 hours of family plea for return, child
returned by suspect."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/09/11/missing-boy-found.html

VANCOUVER — Many British Columbians believe their prayers were
answered when toddler Kienan Hebert was returned safely to his home
early Sunday.
No one, it would seem, more than his parents.
Kienan’s
mother Tammy passed on a message from the family on Sunday, according
to the Sparwood Free Press. “Praise God. Who can know my family and not
believe in an amazing, awesome God. . . . We are truly blessed,” she
said.
Sparwood Fellowship Baptist Church Pastor Ron Rutley said the Heberts were not in church Sunday morning.
He said he knew that no matter what happened leading up to Sunday, it was not going to be a regular service.
Rutley
had been preparing a sermon that called for justice, but it turned into
one of reflection and celebration. While there were some tears, he
said, the predominant feeling among the gathering of about 75 people was
joy.
“We thanked God for answering our prayers that Kienan is
home safe, and just praying that, at three years old, his mind and his
memory will be protected, and maybe he will grow up and have no memory
of this. That he will be back in his loving family and recover
completely and not have any negative effects,” he said.
Solicitor-General Shirley Bond said in a news release: “Tens of thousands of prayers were answered this morning.”
“I
want to thank the RCMP, the search and rescue personnel, and the
hundreds of volunteers for their tremendous efforts since Kienan went
missing.”
Premier Christy Clark said: “This is the result we all wanted with the Hebert family, the safe return home of Kienan.”
“I
can’t begin to fathom the anguish his parents, Paul and Tammy, have
experienced over the nightmare of the past four days. But throughout the
ordeal, their faith that Kienan would come home safe gave everyone
involved strength.”

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Missing+return+answer+many+prayers/5385979/story.html#ixzz1XhiHlcNw

Police in Sparwood, B.C., received a startling 911 call just after 3 a.m. Sunday.

Kienan Hebert had been dropped off at the family home, a voice said.

But the house was empty — the Hebert family was staying with friends
down the street while police desperately tried to find their 3-year-old
son who had been abducted five days earlier.

Within moments, police cruisers raced to the Hebert home and found Kienan inside.
A few doors away, the Hebert family saw all the commotion and approached their home.

They saw Kienan, he saw them.

There were tears, hugs and laughter as the little boy was reunited with his family.

“All they (Kienan’s parents) kept saying was, ‘This is just wonderful. It’s him, it’s him,’” RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk told the Toronto Star.

Kienan had been the subject of an intense search in western Canada
and the U.S. after he was taken from his bed in the middle of the night
on Tuesday by a stranger.

The sole suspect linked to the case, 46-year-old Randall Peter
Hopley, is a convicted sex offender recently released from prison.

Police say Kienan is unharmed and adjusting well.

“This young boy was returned by an abductor. In 26 years of policing I have never seen this . . . ,” said an emotional Moskaluk.

At a news conference on Sunday afternoon, Paul Hebert, Kienan’s dad, thanked “the person who returned Kienan to our family”

“I would like to say thank you. It was the right thing to do. I thank
God that Kienan was returned unharmed,” said Paul, his eyes welling up
with tears.

“Kienan is happily home and he’s playing with his brothers and sisters. Thank you. Thank you.”

His wife, Tammy, sat next to him, tears running down her face.

At the Hebert home a few hours earlier, Kienan played on the front
lawn with his seven siblings — he is the second youngest. At one point, a
barefoot and giggling Kienan, in green, white and black shorts and a
sleeveless T-shirt, sprayed his siblings with a squirt gun.

“Children are so resilient. I’ve seen it before,” Moskaluk said.
“There are serious violent incidents with young children. They feel the
emotion, but speaking as a father and looking at Kienan today playing
with his brothers and sisters, he’s not skipping a beat.”

People in the young boy’s town of 3,900, about 260 kilometres
southwest of Calgary, spent the day celebrating Kienan’s safe return.

Many questions, however, remain unanswered.

How did the abductor return Kienan to the scene of the crime
unnoticed? How did the boy disappear in the first place, and what
happened in the four days in between?

Most importantly, Hopley remains at large.

Hopley has a string of convictions dating to 1985 that range from
sexual assault to break-and-enter. He just finished serving a two-month
sentence for assaulting a woman outside the Sparwood Public Library and
is on probation.

RCMP have said Hopley unsuccessfully attempted to lure another child the same evening Kienan went missing.

Moskaluk had a message for Hopley.

“Randall, if you’re listening, you need to reach out to the police,”
he said. “We’re not going to put any other children at risk. We want
this to be completed.”

Local media in Sparwood are reporting there is only one road in or
out and driving to the Hebert house would have required driving past a
search and rescue command post at the entrance to the suburb.

The Hebert home, which had been surrounded by yellow police tape
since Kienan disappeared early Wednesday morning, had been thoroughly
searched by investigators.

After Kienan’s return Sunday, the police tape was placed around the
entire block. Later in the day investigators were scouring the house
once again for more forensic evidence.

At the news conference, Moskaluk said investigators don’t know how Kienan was returned to the family home.

He declined to say whether the Hebert home was under surveillance
when Kienan was returned. He also would not say whether Hopley had an
accomplice or was working alone.

“In 26 year of policing, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said
Moskaluk, referring to Kienan’s return. But he admitted, “taking the
child undetected and then placing him back undetected certainly is a
chilling prospect.”

The investigation is far from over, he said, adding the focus is now
on finding Hopley and piecing together what happened in the days the
child was missing.

He also made a direct plea to Hopley. “Randall, do the right thing and call us,” said Moskaluk.

More than 60 investigators were searching for Kienan — now they are hunting for Hopley.

In Sparwood, a tight-knit coal mining community, people celebrated Kienan’s return.

Hundreds of volunteers, on foot, horseback and all-terrain vehicles,
had scoured the nearby woods and waterways in the past days.

Pastor Ron Rutley of the Sparwood Fellowship Baptist Church, the
Hebert family’s home church, dedicated his Sunday service to Kienan’s
plight.

“The whole town is able to breathe again,” Rutley said in an
interview. “It was very emotional. We’re very ecstatic. In something
like this, you see the best in people come out. Everyone just rallied.

“The second greatest commandment is love your neighbour as yourself, and I think that’s what we saw here.”

In addition to celebrating Kienan’s safe return, the congregation also prayed for Hopley.

“Certainly he’s made in the image of God, just like the rest of us.
The difference between him and the rest of us is not a difference of
kind, it’s just a difference of degree.”

Darlene Nickerson, a resident involved in the search for the little
boy, said she was over overjoyed when she heard the news. She provided
food for the search party while her husband scoured the neighbourhood on
foot.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1052128--in-26-years-of-policing-i-ve-never-seen-anything-like-this?bn=1

Kienan Hebert's parents talk about his return home
September 11, 2011

B.C. family thankful abducted boy returned unharmed; search on for abductor


Paul Hebert, centre, shares a hug with RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk while his wife Tammy looks on in Sparwood at the search and rescue command centre in Sparwood, B.C. on Sunday Sept. 11, 2011. The Hebert's son Kienan, who was abducted earlier in the week, was returned by his captor unharmed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bill Graveland

With the resilience of a three year-old, Kienan Hebert is back to playing with his brothers and sisters, happily running around as police continue their search for a suspect who snatched the boy from his Sparwood, B.C., home and mysteriously returned him there unharmed five days later.

His weeping parents appeared before the media Sunday to thank all who supported them during the gruelling hours and days following their son's abduction last Wednesday, including police and community volunteers.

But the boy's father, Paul Hebert, had a special thank you for "the person" who brought his little boy home Sunday morning. Police allege that person was the abductor _ convicted sex offender Randall Hopley.

"To the person who returned Kienan to our family I'd like to say thank you," Paul Hebert sobbed. "It was the right thing to do. I thank God that Kienan was returned unharmed."

RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said medical personnel assessed the boy and found him unhurt, in good spirits and happy to be reunited with his family.

Moskaluk's announcement generated a loud cheer from several of the volunteers who had searched for Kienan and had packed the tiny tent where the news conference was taking place.

Paul Hebert — who appeared almost stoic before the media over the five days since his child vanished — had difficulty speaking.

"Thank you, thank you," he managed to say before breaking down in tears. His wife, Tammy, sat beside him, tears running down her face.

Police received an anonymous call around 3 a.m. local time Sunday morning telling them where to find the boy.

Moskaluk said the most troubling thing was that the caller told police they could find Kienan in his own home.

"Taking the child undetected and then placing him back undetected certainly is a chilling prospect," Moskaluk admitted.

The family wasn't home at the time and were staying with a neighbour. The house, which had been surrounded by yellow police tape since the boy's disappearance, had been thoroughly searched by investigators.

After the boy's return, the police tape was placed around the entire block. Later in the day investigators were scouring the house once again for more forensic evidence.

No one saw Kienan taken some time last Wednesday morning and no one witness his return.

"This young boy was returned by an abductor. In 26 years of policing I have never seen this," said an emotional Moskaluk. "The little guy appears to be in good health. Little guys like this are very resilient.

"To the rest of the world 9-11 means New York. 9-11 to me means Kienan Hebert."

Moskaluk also had a message for Hopley.

"Randall, if you're listening, you need to reach out to the police," he said.

"We're not going to put any other children at risk. We want this to be completed."

Roadblocks were set up on the highways in and around Sparwood. RCMP officers stopped hundreds of vehicles, checking in back seats and ordering drivers to pop their trunks to make sure that Hopley was not catching a ride.

Word of Kienan's return spread quickly throughout Sparwood, a coal mining town of about 4,000 surrounded on all sides by mountains and trees. The community had mustered hundreds of volunteers to search the area around the Hebert home.

"I'm rather ecstatic right now. When we heard the news first thing this morning we were already up planning for today's operations. In this case, a little boy being brought back — man, it's excellent," said search and rescue spokesman Jeff Smedley.

Sparwood's acting mayor Sharon Fraser paid the Hebert family a visit early Sunday morning.

"I've never heard of this happening. I've never heard of a child being abducted and then returned right back to the home. So to me it's nothing short of a big miracle," said Fraser. "It just scares the heck out of you period."

Former Sparwood mayor David Wilks, now the Conservative MP for the area, worked as an RCMP officer in Sparwood before entering politics.

Wilks, who attends church with the Hebert's, said he remembers dealing with Hopley in his policing days and admits the circumstances are disturbing.

"Is there another child next? He's still out there," shrugged Wilks.

"He has the uncanny ability to get into a house and back out with everyone in it and not only take a child but deliver the child back," he added.

But Wilks had been optimistic that Kienan would be delivered home safely.

"I felt that he would not harm him but for whatever reason he wanted him to be with him."

The boy's father called his pastor shortly after Kienan was found Sunday morning.

Pastor Ron Rutley of the Sparwood Fellowship Baptist Church gave thanks for Kienan's safe return in his Sunday morning sermon.

"It's just like a dream. Lord we thank you that Kienan is home safe. We pray for him right now," said Rutley.

"Lord we come before you with bittersweet hearts. Sweet for you have heard our prayers and answered them and bitter because we struggle to understand why those prayers had to be uttered at all."

On Saturday, the boy's parents brushed away tears as Moskaluk confirmed that their son was kidnapped from his home in this scenic close-knit mountain community. The boy has a history of sleepwalking, and many were hoping he had perhaps just wandered away.

Clasping his wife's hand tightly under the table, Paul Hebert had a message for Kienan's suspected captor saying they only wanted their son returned unharmed.

Police said a second abduction attempt happened at another home on the evening Hebert went missing. A suspect tried unsuccessfully to lure another child out of the home.

Hopley, 46, was convicted of sexual assault in the mid-1980s and was given a two-year federal prison sentence.

An incident in November 2007 led to charges of break and enter, unlawful confinement and attempted abduction, and the indictment for the case indicated the victim was under 16 years old.

B.C.'s Criminal Justice Branch has confirmed Hopley pleaded guilty to break and enter and was sentenced to 18 months in jail, while the other charges were stayed.

Crown spokesman Neil MacKenzie said Hopley admitted at trial that he attempted to abduct a 10-year-old boy, who was in foster care at the time. Hopley claimed he was acting on behalf of the child's parents.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/bc-family-thankful-abducted-boy-returned-unharmed-search-on-for-abductor-129610618.html

Kienan’s return unusual and unprecedented, expert says

The fact Kienan Hebert reappeared at his family makes his case almost unique, says one high-profile expert in child abductions.

“We’ve worked thousands of cases. I’m not aware of that happening before,” said Ernie Allen, president and chief executive officer of the Virginia-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children which has a 27-year history.

“It’s higher risk to bring the child back than it was to take the child in the first place.”

Allen, who has been following Kienan’s case, said the boy’s return suggests one of two scenarios. Either Kienan’s captor was intimidated by the Amber Alerts, roadblocks, police presence and intense media coverage of the case, or the parents’ emotional appeal on Saturday affected the abductor’s conscience.

In a widely publicized address, Paul Hebert and his wife Tammy calmly issued a message to whoever took their son, who police allege is Randall Hopley, 46, a convicted sex offender from the Sparwood area.

“We’re just asking, please bring Kienan to a safe place right now, okay? Like a gas station or store parking lot where he is visibly seen and you could just drop him off there okay? Walk away,” Hebert said.

“We just want him safe. Kienan’s only 3 years old right now and as you know and we know Kienan can’t speak, so he can’t tell us who you are, right? This is your chance right now to get away. All we want is Kienan to come back with us and to be safe in our arms again.”

The circumstances of Kienan’s return closely matched the family’s plea. In both the kidnapping and the boy’s return, his captor took incredibly high risks — especially by returning to the scene of the crime, Allen said.

“What’s unusual about this case are the circumstances of the abduction follow by the return of the child to the home,” he said.

Stephen Porter, Director of the Centre for the Advancement of Psychological Science and Law at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, offered a third — and darker — explanation of the suspect returning Kienan to his home.

“The suspect may have been communicating his power and control . . . and even superiority over the police and parents,” Porter said in an email to the Star. “That is, it could have been a sadistic motivation. He took a huge risk returning Kienan to his home, suggesting a powerful motive for doing so.

“If he was simply trying to return Kienan and escape he would have left him at a ‘neutral’ location like a gas station somewhere distant from the family home.”

Approximately 58,000 children are abducted in the U.S. each year by someone other than a family member. The vast majority of cases, the children come home safely.

In about 37 per cent of those cases, the child is taken by a stranger. The children are usually not taken to be killed, but rather victimized and released, Allen said.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1052250

Son would not hurt child, suspect's mother says

The mother of a man sought in connection with the disappearance of a three-yearold B.C. boy said Friday she doesn't believe her troubled son would harm the child.

"I feel really sorry for the little kid. I don't think Randy [Hopley] will harm him," said Margaret Fink, 70. "He's been with the grandkids here a lot and he's been pretty good."

Ms. Fink said she last saw Mr. Hopley on Tuesday, the day before Kienan Hebert disappeared from the bedroom of his home in the community of Sparwood.

"He gave me a big hug. He said he was doing all right," said Ms. Fink.

"It had been a while, we hadn't seen him. He'd gotten into trouble again, and he was away and we never heard from him," she said.

Mr. Hopley has a long criminal record, including a conviction for sex assault in the Cranbrook, B.C., area when he was 18 years old. Three years later, when he was released from prison, a psychiatrist told the National Parole Board that he was likely to reoffend.

He was sentenced to 18 months in jail and given three years' probation for breaking-and-entering in a 2008 Cranbrook case that the judge said was "better seen as an attempt to kidnap a vulnerable 10-year-old from his foster parents."

His mother said his family doesn't believe he would hurt a child.

"Randy has been in trouble. But when the cops tell me, it seems like a shock to me. When Randy was here, there wasn't anything wrong with him. He seemed to be normal. When I hear things like this, it's just a shock."

READ MORE

Old Dirt on Randall Hopley
September 11, 2011

While Randall P. Hopley is still at large, The Free Press in partnership with the Cranbrook Daily Townsman dug up some old articles about Hopley from our files. See below for five disturbing past articles.


Hopley Known to Police


hopley, randall 2007-11-26
By DEAN BASSETT Townsman Staff

CRANBROOK - An area resident will remain in custody pending his trial for attempting to snatch a young boy from a residence. On Monday, 42 year-old Randall P. Hopley appeared before Judge Ron Webb in the Cranbrook Law Courts.

Hopley appeared by video from Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre and was represented in the court room by venerable public defender Greg Sawchuk.

Hopley is charged with one count of break and enter, one count of unlawful confinement and one count of abduction of a person under 14 years of age. Crown counsel Andrew Mayes sought and received a publication ban for the bail hearing to both protect the victim. Mayes was also concerned that any evidence published at this early date could jeopardize a jury trial if the case goes that route.

Details of the accusations can only be published at the conclusion of the file.

Sawchuk noted that the accused doesn't have any convictions for failing to attend court, which is the primary grounds for keeping an accused in jail.

"There is no basis for detention on the primary grounds," Webb said. "Detention is necessary on the secondary and tertiary grounds." However having regard to all the circumstances, Webb ruled detention was necessary for the protection of the public and to prevent the possibility of a further criminal offence.

"The community would be appalled if the accused was out and had the possibility to contact this young person," Webb said. Mayes also produced the accused's previous criminal record for the court proceedings.

Hopley's next court appearance is set for Jan. 7, 2008. In the meantime, Mayes and Sawchuk await the results of fingerprints taken by investigators.

The Crown is proceeding by indictment. If Hopley is found guilty he could face 10 years in jail on the abduction and forcible confinement charges. Break and enter carries a maximum penalty of life in jail, although this maximum is rarely imposed.


hopley, randall 2008-03-31
By DEAN BASSETT Townsman Staff

CRANBROOK – A Sparwood resident will be cooling his heals in jail for breaking into a home in an attempt to kidnap a mentally challenged boy.

On Monday, Provincial Court Judge Ron Webb sentenced 42-year-old Randall P. Hopley to 18-months in jail for a break-in that occurred last November.

Hopley pleaded guilty to one count of break and enter but the charge doesn’t quite paint a full picture of his crime. He was also charged with one count of unlawful confinement and one count of abduction but those two charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence.

“This charge will show up as a break-and-enter,” Webb said. “It’s better seen as an attempt to kidnap a vulnerable 10-year-old from his foster parents.”

Once out of jail Hopley will be placed on probation for three years. The first six months of the probation will be served under house arrest, followed by another half year with a tight curfew.

“I like the idea of having you supervised,” Webb said of Hopley’s post jail period.

Crown counsel Andrew Mayes emphasized there wasn’t a single piece of forensic evidence (specifically fingerprints) linking the accused to the break-in. The 10-year-old boy - and main witness - was described as being a high needs child with a low IQ.

“It’s based solely on (Hopley’s) confession to police,” Mayes said of the charge.

Mayes noted Hopley pleaded guilty to the charge on Jan. 25. In short, Hopley claimed he tried to abduct the 10-year-old boy from foster care and transfer him to his biological parents for $2,800.

The circumstances of the crime began on Nov. 5, 2007. On that night the foster mom became suspicious that somebody was outside her home. She went into the boy’s room. The 10-year-old indicated hearing somebody outside his window and then a flashlight shone inside. The battery to the home alarm was found in the yard later that day.

On Nov. 7 the foster mother heard the young boy talking to somebody in his room. As she got up to investigate, somebody ran out the backdoor. The boy informed the mother Hopley had been in the room and tried to force him out a window. The screen from the bedroom window had been removed. At that time, the foster mom noticed a bottle of the lad’s prescription medicine was missing.

Hopley told investigators he had taken the bottle but hid it in the boy’s room, where it was later recovered. Webb noted that on the night of the attempted abduction Hopley entered the residence at 10:30 p.m. and waited in the home until 2:30 a.m. before making an unsuccessful attempt to get the boy out the residence. Hopley returned a second time, which was when he tried pushing the lad out the bedroom window.

During the Jan. 25 hearing, the court heard the suggestion that the abduction was retribution for Hopley sexually assaulting the youth - an accusation Hopley vehemently denied.

In the wake of the break-in, a search warrant of Hopley’s residence revealed pictures of the boy, a suitcase of children’s clothes, some of the boy’s medication and GoodNites (underwear for children who have bedwetting accidents). Some of the GoodNites were cut to imitate g-string style underwear. In January, Hopley denied the GoodNites were for the boy (who had bedwetting issues) but he would not explain their presence in his home.

In the final analysis, Webb concluded there wasn’t enough direct evidence to suggest Hopley planned to abduct the boy for anything other than a money transaction. Although, Webb noted Hockley was found guilty of a sexual assault in 1985 in “matters relating to children.”

Defense counsel Greg Sawchuk cautioned against making any connection that this was a sexually motivated act. “It’s obviously a matter of grave concern to the family and victims,” Webb said. “It’s something that never should have occurred. To suggest it was purely done as a business transaction is offensive.” Webb added, “To try and take (a 10-year-old) forcibly from his home for a few hundred dollars to support his own life is pathetic.”

Hopley indicated he did the crime to pay off debts. Mayes tendered Hopley’s record which included 11 previous break-in convictions, including one in 2006. Consequently, Mayes opposed the suggestion that Hopley could serve a conditional jail sentence in the community. Sawchuk suggested a conditional sentence, whereby a convicted person serves time under house arrest, might be appropriate instead of hard jail time.


Hopley, Randall-never ran
By BONNIE BRYAN Townsman Staff

Area resident Randall P. Hopley was before the court again last week, although not in person. Hopley appeared before Judge Ron Webb by video from a correctional facility in the Fraser Valley. Hopley, 42, pleaded guilty to one charge of break and enter with intent to commit offence, with the other charges of one count of unlawful confinement or imprisonment and one count of abduction of a person under 16 likely to be stayed as they stem from the first charge.

Details of the circumstances surrounding the charges were revealed in Cranbrook Law Courts on Friday, January 25.

Last fall, on the evening of November 5 in Sparwood the foster mother of the young boy the charges surround became suspicious that someone was outside her residence. She went into the boy's room and he told her he had heard knocking at his window and someone shining a flashlight through his window. The battery to the residence's alarm system was found taken out of the system in the yard.

Two days later on November 7, the foster mother heard the young boy talking in his room and when she got up she heard someone go out the backdoor. She could find no one but later heard the same thing.

The young boy told her it had been Hopley in his room. According to the boy, Hopley had tried to force him out the window in his bedroom but the boy screamed, drawing the attention of his foster mother. The screen on his bedroom window was visibly damaged and partially removed. It was also noticed a bottle of the boy's medication was missing. Hopley later told RCMP he had taken the bottle but hid it in the boy's room, where it was later found.

Hopley maintains his actions were simply part of a business transaction, that he was paid $2,800 by the boy's biological mother to take the boy from his foster home. The boy's biological mother told Hopley the deed would be retribution for sexually assaulting the young boy. Hopley denies he sexually assaulted the youth.

Mayes told the court the young boy is a special needs child who is cognitively under developed. The boy has temper problems, is prone to outbursts, lying and has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder​, and was also known to have problems with bedwetting.

Through a search warrant RCMP searched Hopley's Sparwood residence, and found pictures of the boy, a suitcase of children's clothes, some of the boy's medication, and GoodNites, underwear for children who have bedwetting accidents while sleeping. Some of the GoodNites were cut into a g-string style of underwear.

Hopley denied the GoodNites were for the young boy but would not shed any light on who they were for or why they were at his residence. He also said the suitcase of children's clothes were just items he had found while dumpster diving.

Hopley's lawyer, Greg Sawchuk, asked that a pre-sentence report be prepared and Mayes asked that psychiatric assessment also be done. Sawchuk told Webb he would advise Hopley not to agree to a psychiatric assessment.

Webb expressed concern that the author of a pre-sentence report may not be able to prepare one without a psychiatric assessment and by refusing to consent to one Hopley would only be delaying things.

In the end, despite his comment Webb was not satisfied a psychiatric assessment was needed and so Mayes' request was denied.

The matter will be back in Cranbrook Law Courts on February 26.


hopley, randall Unknown Date
By Dean Bassett Townsman Writer

A Sparwood man accused of sexually assaulting a young boy must go through a new trial this fall.

Randy Hopley, 34, who stands accused of sexual assault and sexual interference must wait until Oct. 5 for a new Supreme Court trial to begin in Cranbrook.

The jurors in his trial, which ended last Wednesday couldn't agree on an outcome. As a result, the presiding judge declared it a miss trial.

The two charges stem from incidents alleged to occur between Jan. 1, 1992 and Dec. 31, 1992, when the complainant was eight-years old. Both Sexual assault and sexual interference carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail. Sexual interference is defined under Canada's Criminal Code as sexually touching any body part of a person under the age of 14.


hopley, randall 2011-05-19
By MEGAN COLE The Free Press Staff

A Sparwood man appeared in court in Cranbrook yesterday after being held in the Kamloops Regional Correctional Facility.

“It’s pretty unusual that someone wouldn’t be held locally to await trial,” said Const. Sheena Fulton of the Elk Valley RCMP. Elk Valley RCMP arrested Randall Peter Hopley last month.

The Elk Valley RCMP received a report on April 27 that Hopley was suspected to be in violation of his bail ordered conditions.

The RCMP located Hopley and he was arrested. He went before a judge and was remanded in custody in Kamloops. Fulton said that Hopley has caused quite a bit of trouble locally.

Hopley appeared yesterday for charges of assault, and three charges of failing to comply with court ordered conditions.

Since May 2002, Hopley has been found guilty of two breaking and entering charges, and a charge for theft of $5,000 or under.

He was also arrested in the Crowsnest Pass in May 2010 after he was found living in someone else’s cabin and was in possession of several stolen items including ATVs, trailers, a camper, generators, vehicle batteries, gas tanks, propane tanks, electronics equipment, food, and furniture.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_thompson_nicola/kamloopsthisweek/news/129631338.html

Toddler's dad lashes out at justice system
September 12, 2011

B.C. boy’s home left unlocked before mysterious return: father
September 12, 2011

SPARWOOD, B.C. Just how three-year-old Kienan Hebert’s alleged abductor was able to return the boy to his British Columbia home undetected in the dark of night may have a deceptively simple answer: the doors were unlocked.

Kienan was returned to his family home in Sparwood, B.C., early Sunday morning nearly a week after he disappeared from the very same two-storey house.

The house was unoccupied at the time, with Kienan’s large family staying a few doors away, and just hours earlier, the boy’s father made an emotional plea for whoever had his son to leave him in a safe location.

“We left the doors unlocked on purpose,” Paul Hebert, sounding exhausted but relieved, said in an interview.

“We asked him to bring him back to a safe place, and he brought him back to our house.”

The sole suspect in Kienan’s disappearance remains convicted sex offender Randall Hopley, 46, who was still at large. Police and the Heberts have publicly urged Hopley to turn himself in.

http://www.thespec.com/news/canada/article/593178--b-c-boy-s-home-left-unlocked-before-mysterious-return-father

Manhunt underway for alleged kidnapper in B.C.
September 12, 2011


Randall Hopley, suspected in the abduction of three-year-old Kienan Hebert,
is shown in a photo released by the Vancouver Police Department.

A manhunt is underway for an alleged kidnapper in B.C. This comes a day after a three-year-old boy was returned to his Sparwood, B.C. home. And while the little boy's family is celebrating his return, some are criticizing the actions of the RCMP.

Three-year-old Kienan Hebert's father, Paul Hebert, describes the first moments when he saw his son returned home safely.

"Finding Kienan sleeping was a meltdown -- I found every piece in my body went numb," said Paul Hebert.

Police issued a public bulletin after their investigation led them to believe the boy was in the company of a man with a lengthy criminal record.

Police in Sparwood say 46-year-old Randall Peter Hopley is the sole suspect in the kidnapping of Kienan.

The 46-year-old man is a resident of Sparwood and was on probation after being convicted of assault.

The boy was returned to his home unharmed early Sunday morning.

The Heberts moved in with a neighbour shortly after their son was reported missing, just as their home was designated as a crime scene.

Kienan was reported missing after he vanished from his bed last Tuesday night. The toddler was not seen or heard from until he was he was secretly returned to his home in the middle of the night.

Paul Hebert says the house was empty at that time, with the doors intentionally left unlocked.

"We're not upset that Hopley came back into our house we left the doors unlocked hoping he'd bring him," said Paul.

Some residents now question whether police were closely monitoring the Hebert's home.

"How can you watch a house for four days and then find out that this guy put the kid back in the house. Why weren't the cops watching the house? It just doesn't make any sense," said one Sparwood resident.

But Paul doesn't share that criticism, instead saying if police were watching, Kienan may not have been returned. But he does condemn the criminal justice system.

"Hopley was taken in because he had a problem and he had a record of having a problem. Now Hopley is out because someone didn't do his job," said Paul.

It's alleged Hopley attempted to abduct another child on the evening Kienan went missing. Hopley has a lengthy criminal history, which includes sexual assault, break and enter, and theft.

The Hebert family is now trying to cope with the emotional stress that comes when the safety and sanctity of a home is undermined. Paul did say Kienan is afraid of strangers and the entire family needs professional help.

Hopley still remains at large and police are searching the area in and around Sparwood.

http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110912/edm_abduction_110912/20110912/?hub=EdmontonHome

Randall Hopley faces kidnapping and abduction charges
September 13, 2011



Police received “promising information” that Randall Hopley – accused of abducting three-year-old Kienan Hebert -- was just across the boundary with Alberta, zeroing in on the area Monday night and launching a search early Tuesday morning that flushed the suspect out from an abandoned camp.

Mr. Hopley attempted to flee, but a police dog stopped him, said Insp. Brendan Fitzpatrick of RCMP E-Division’s major crime unit at a Tuesday afternoon press conference in Sparwood, B.C.

He has been arrested for kidnapping, and abduction of a person under the age of 14.

Sgt. Lorne Craig, NCO of the RCMP’s Elk Valley detachment, said police received information Monday night that Mr. Hopley might be near the Crowsnest Bible Camp.

Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said Mr. Hopley was arrested at about 10 a.m. Tuesday and his vehicle recovered shortly afterwards.

Insp.Fitzpatrick said police contacted Amber Alert soon after Kienan was reported missing, but was told that the case did not meet the threshold for triggering the province-wide alert system. Amber Alert was initiated only after Mr. Hopley was identified as a suspect, Insp. Fitzpatrick said.

Mr. Hopley acted alone, Insp. Fitzpatrick. There was no accomplice, he said. There had been an initial report someone else had run from the area of the arrest, but that turned out to be erroneous, Insp. Fitzpatrick said.

He said there was a very low probability of Kienan being dropped off at his own home. Police had patrols out in the area, concentrating on other spots where they thought there was a better chance Kenan might be found, he said.

Insp. Fitzpatrick emphasized there was no deal between the alleged kidnapper and the Hebert family regarding the youngster’s return.

He said the family’s plea that Kienan be returned was “pure and simply an investigative tactic” by police. “It was an idea to appeal to him (the suspected kidnapper) in a belief he may have been monitoring the media.”

Insp. Fitzpatrick said 150 police were involved in the search for Kienan and Mr. Hopley. “It doesn’t get any better than this. This is a good news story.”

Insp. Fitzpatrick likened the hunt for Mr. Hopley to searching for a needle in the haystack. “He was extremely familiar with the area. He’s lived here all his life.”

Mr. Hopley had been hiding in an abandoned house at the Graymont rock quarry’s Summit Plant, an industrial facility where limestone is quarried and crushed in Crowsnest Pass, Alta.

Bob Gresl, manager of the lime plant, said Mr. Hopley was arrested right at the plant site, which is about two kilometres inside Alberta from the B.C. boundary.

“He was pretty quiet,” Mr. Gresl said of the suspect. “He was unshaven, that’s for sure. He wasn’t that big, you know. He was in handcuffs.”

The manager said it was a stressful time for the eight plant employees.

“You got cops running around all over the place, and helicopters, and this and that and whatever. And you’re wondering what the heck is going on, right?”

Mr. Gresl said he knew of no cabins in the area where Mr. Hopley might have been holed up, and how he wound up at the plant was a mystery.

The area is now cordoned off with yellow police tape, with numerous RCMP vehicles, including several ATVs, parked. Three different sideroads are blocked off.

The limestone plant is in a mountainous, wooded stretch south of the main highway and west of Crowsnest Lake. Some quarry workers used to live in a handful of houses at the plant but they’ve been abandoned for about a decade, said an employee who declined to give his name.

A resident at nearby Crowsnest Lake confirmed several officers were combing the area and interviewing people living there.

In a brief statement, the RCMP confirmed Mr. Hopley has been arrested. The police are expected to hold a press conference at 7 p.m. ET.

Two RCMP officers delivered the news to Paul and Tammy Hebert Tuesday morning.

They said, "'Good news. We got him,'" Mr. Hebert recalled. "They were pretty happy too. It's [a] closer."

"We knew that he'd get caught. It was just a matter of time," Mr. Hebert said.

"We were pretty excited. The community's safe now once again and we can get back to living our lives," Mr. Hebert said.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/randall-hopley-faces-kidnapping-and-abduction-charges/article2164185/

Psychiatric evaluation ordered for kidnapping suspect Randall Hopley
Hopley ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation
September 14, 2011


Randall Hopley, 46, who is suspected in the abduction of three-year-old Kienan Hebert, made his first appearance in a Cranbrook court Wednesday.
Photograph by: Brian Clarkson, Cranbrook Photo

Police hustled abduction suspect Randall Hopley into court this morning in Cranbrook, as he pulled his blue shirt over his face in a bid to shield himself from cameras.

Hopley, handcuffed and wearing a blue T-shirt and black pants, arrived in an RCMP SUV as reporters peered through a fence.

Hopley, accused of kidnapping three-year-old Sparwood boy Kienan Hebert, has been ordered to undergo a full psychiatric evaluation.

The 46-year-old made his first court appearance in Cranbrook Wednesday.

Accused child abductor Hopley was found Tuesday morning hiding in an abandoned cabin near a bible camp in an area he had lived in all his life, RCMP said Tuesday.

Police were scouring the Crowsnest Pass area in Alberta, just east of the B.C.-Alberta border, around 10 a.m. when a police dog indicated “there was possibly some activity” inside the cabin, said Insp. Brendan Fitzpatrick, operations officer of the E Division’s Major Crime Unit.

Realizing police had found him, Hopley, 46, attempted to flee. However, a police dog pursued him and Hopley was arrested a short time later for kidnapping and abduction of a person under 14.

Hopley’s vehicle was also located nearby.

The area is near the Crowsnest Lake bible camp.

Sgt. Lorne Craig, detachment commander for the Sparwood RCMP, said the location “was an area of containment we had previously set up,” and that on Monday night police received “promising information” Hopley may have been in the area.

Fitzpatrick said Hopley’s knowledge of the area likely helped him elude capture for as long as he did.

“Mr. Hopley is extremely familiar with the area,” he said. “He’s lived here his entire life. That probably assisted him in moving undetected.”

He also credited widespread media coverage and the Amber Alert, which was extended for several days, for likely having “made it very difficult for Mr. Hopley to move out of the area, if he had intentions to.”

Added Moskaluk: “We believe that the pleas that we put out together may have had a direct effect on the outcome.”

Fitzpatrick would not comment on how Hopley’s brown 1987 Toyota Camry was concealed, saying only they “will be looking into” it.

Police said Hopley has seen a doctor, but would not comment on his reported mental health issues, noting the matter is for Hopley and his lawyer.

Police do not yet have information on how long he might have been staying at the cabin, or whether that is where he kept Hebert.

Earlier reports that there may have been an accomplice turned out to be false.

“The initial flurry of activity that took place at that time, you can understand that emotions were running high,” Fitzpatrick said. “There was some thought that someone else had run from the area, but that proved to be wrong.”

Hopley is now being held in the Cranbrook detachment on a 24-hour detention. He is expected to appear in court on Wednesday on a first appearance.

Hopley had been on the lam since last Wednesday, when three-year-old Kienan Hebert disappeared from his Sparwood home. Police quickly identified Hopley as a person of interest, then upgraded the status to suspect. As soon as requirements were met, an Amber Alert was issued.

Meanwhile, Hopley’s mother, Margaret Fink, said she heard about her son’s capture from a relative on the phone. Soon after she got the call, a pair of police officers who said they were from Vancouver arrived at her Fernie home to share the news.

She said she is relieved her son has finally been captured.

“I kept praying for him to come home,” said Fink, 70, from her Fernie home. “I’m going to be so happy to hug him. I hope he listens to me. . . . I want him to get help. He must have needed it a long time ago.

“I was getting worried they [the police] might shoot him.”

Officers had been checking in on her throughout the week, Fink said.

Hebert’s father, Paul, told reporters Tuesday morning he was happy and relieved for the community.

Sharon Fraser, acting mayor of Sparwood, said she was “elated” to hear of Hopley’s arrest.

Fraser — a mother, grandmother and great grandmother — said their small town has changed forever as a result of the traumatic events over this last week.

“All of us haven’t slept in days,” she said.

The safe return of Hebert, followed by Hopley’s capture, is a great relief, but “it’s going to take awhile to get back to normality,” she said.

She added that residents, herself included, should start thinking about taking more precautions securing their homes.

Hebert was mysteriously returned home safe on Sunday.

Paul Hebert found his son asleep on an oversized chair in the living room at around the same time the police received a call informing them of the child’s whereabouts.

Police could not confirm it was Hopley who called.

The probability that Hebert would have been returned home was "extremely low" and a "virtually unprecedented situation," said Fitzpatrick, but police "had taken into account the possibility that he could be dropped off."

A day earlier, the family made a desperate plea for Hebert's safe return.

RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said he “was virtually unharmed.... He does not have any physical injuries.”

http://www.timescolonist.com/Psychiatric+evaluation+ordered+kidnapping+suspect+Randall+Hopley/5401307/story.html

Accused child abductor in Kamloops prison
September 15, 2011


Randall Hopley will spend time at KRCC until his next court appearance on Nov. 9.

Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre is about to play host to a high-profile inmate.

Alleged child abductor Randall Hopley is expected to be housed at the Kamloops provincial prison while undergoing a psychiatric assessment.

The 46-year-old was arrested on Tuesday, Sept. 13, while hiding in an unoccupied cabin just east of the B.C.-Alberta border.

He is facing charges of break-and-enter, kidnapping and abduction of a person under 14, as well as a separate charge of breach of probation.

Hopley is alleged to have broken into a home in Sparwood, B.C., last week and kidnapped three-year-old Kienan Hebert.

Kienan’s parents discovered he was missing on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 7.

A massive manhunt and Amber Alert ensued, but police couldn’t track down the boy or his alleged abductor.

Then, early Sunday morning (Sept. 11), police received a 911 call telling them to go to the Hebert family home, which had been unoccupied since the alleged abduction.

Kienan was found safely inside the house, apparently having been returned by his abductor.

Hopley has been ordered by a provincial court judge to undergo an in-custody psychiatric assessment.

KRCC is the closest provincial jail to Sparwood, a town of about 5,000 people 20 kilometres from the B.C.-Alberta boundary, near Fernie.

In the past, KRCC staff has made special considerations for high-profile inmates to ensure their safety while behind bars.

When child-killer Alan Schoenborn was housed at the jail, for instance, he was kept in solitary confinement and placed on suicide watch.

When Schoenborn had to be moved within the institution, the entire prison was placed on lockdown.

Hopley is due back in court on Nov. 9.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/129907623.html

Accused B.C. child-kidnapper Randall Hopley to return to court in Alberta
September 27, 2011

snipped.....

The man charged in the bizarre kidnapping and subsequent safe return of three-year-old Kienan Hebert of Sparwood, B.C. will be back in court in Alberta on Dec. 6.

Randall Peter Hopley was to stand trial on a dozen charges in Alberta this month in connection with breaking into a cabin in the southwest corner of the province last year and possession of stolen goods.
But the 46-year-old Sparwood man is currently in custody in a Kamloops jail awaiting his next court appearance in British Columbia on Nov. 9 related to the abduction of the Sparwood tot.

.....Mr. Hopley is charged with kidnapping, abduction and break and enter in the case.

Court officials in Alberta said Tuesday that Mr. Hopley is now slated to appear in a Pincher Creek court on Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. to select a new date for a preliminary inquiry.

“We now know Mr. Hopley is in B.C. assessment until November,” said Alberta Justice spokesman David Dear. “Until the results of that assessment are known, fixing a date for the preliminary inquiry would be academic.”

Read more

Man accused of kidnapping 3-year-old boy found fit to stand trial
November 09, 2011


Kienan Hebert of Sparwood B.C. was held for several days before being returned to his home unharmed.

CRANBROOK, B.C.—A man accused of abducting — and then returning — a three-year-old boy in Sparwood, B.C. has been found fit to stand trial.

Randall Hopley, 46, made a brief appearance in provincial court in Cranbrook on Wednesday by video link from a jail in Kamloops.

He's accused of kidnapping Kienan Hiebert from his bed on Sept. 7.

The boy was held for several days before being returned to his home unharmed after an emotional appeal from his parents.

Hopley was captured Sept. 13, hiding in an abandoned cabin by a gravel pit in Crowsnest Lake, Alta.

He appeared neat, clean and much healthier during the video appearance than he did at his last court date.

His lawyer, William Thorne, said a psychiatric assessment ordered for Hopley after he was arrested was completed and concluded Hopley was fit to stand trial.

A bail hearing has been set for Dec. 19, but the judge has imposed a publication ban on the proceedings, including the contents of the psychiatric report.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1084040--man-accused-of-kidnapping-3-year-old-boy-found-fit-to-stand-trial?bn=1

B.C. judge expected to rule on next step in dangerous offender hearing

By: Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press
Posted: 3:01 AM
Last Modified: 4:02 AM

CRANBROOK, B.C. - A B.C. judge is expected to rule today whether confessed child abductor Randall Hopley will undergo a 60-day psychiatric evaluation to help determine if he meets the criteria to be designated a dangerous offender.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Heather Holmes has had the past three weeks to consider the request from Crown prosecutor Lynal Doerksen who wants Hopley declared a dangerous or long-term offender.

Hopley, who is now 47, has pleaded guilty to breaking into three-year-old Kienan Hebert's home in Sparwood, B.C., in the middle of the night last September before taking the boy to a cabin at a nearby bible camp.

Kienan was returned four days later and Hopley was later arrested at the camp.

The application to have Hopley declared a long-term or dangerous offender would allow the court to hand him an indeterminate sentence.

Hopley has insisted he never harmed or sexually assaulted the boy, and the Crown has presented no evidence that he did.

However, the Crown also points to Hopley's criminal history, including a sexual assault on a five-year-old boy in 1985 and an attempted abduction in 2007, to suggest he is a dangerous man who must be kept from the public.

Doerksen said although there's no evidence to suggest Kienan suffered severe psychological damage he presented a report from a child psychology expert that said many children have lasting effects from abductions.

"This child may not have appreciated the danger," Doerksen said.

But Hopley's lawyer says a dangerous offender designation is too extreme.

"We don't have any violence, any maltreatment or any threats of violence,'' William Thorne said during Hopley's sentencing hearing last month.

"We have a case of a simple man who did a stupid thing but who treated the boy well."

Thorne said Hopley has the manner and maturity of a "child".

"Is it appropriate to put someone of Mr. Hopley's level of functioning to the dangerous offender or long-term offender regime for sentencing? This is a real stretch for the prosecution to make," he said.

"The dangerous offender, long-term offender sentencing regime is for the most serious offences and the most serious offenders.''

If the judge decides against the psychiatric assessment it isn't clear when an actual sentence for Hopley will be handed down.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/bc-judge-expected-to-rule-on-next-step-in-dangerous-offender-hearing-165549166.html