Vancouver police are searching for high-risk sex offender Randall Hopley after the 58-year-old failed to return to his halfway house Saturday, two days before a scheduled court appearance.
Hopley, who is now wanted Canada-wide, was last seen around 3 p.m. Saturday, according to a news release.
He is described as being five feet nine inches tall and 176 pounds with brown hair and hazel-coloured eyes. He was last seen wearing a black coat, black pants and black hat.
Officials say Hopley has a history of assault and sexual assault, and committed three offences of a sexual nature against children in the past.
B.C. court records show Hopley was charged with two counts of breaching his long-term supervision order in January, and was set to appear in provincial court in Vancouver on Monday.
Featured VideoThe man suspected in the 2011 disappearance of a three-year-old B.C. boy had a previous criminal history that includes abduction charges, the CBC’s Ben Hadaway reports.
Officers are asking anyone who has seen Hopley, or has information on his whereabouts, to call 911 immediately.
Hopley served a total of six years in prison for abducting a three-year-old in the middle of the night from his home in Sparwood, B.C., in 2011. He returned the boy to his home four days later after holding him in an abandoned cabin.
The 58-year-old was released on parole under a 10-year supervision order in November 2018, at which time Vancouver police issued a public warning that he still posed a risk of significant harm to young boys.
The most recent charges against Hopley stem from an incident last November, according to B.C. court records.
The National Parole Board said in January that the man violated his conditions after allegedly being caught using a computer at a public library, less than a metre away from a group of children.
At the time, the parole board recommended charges against Hopley and said a long-term supervision order was needed because he is at high risk to reoffend.
In a news conference on Sunday, B.C. Premier David Eby said he was “deeply disturbed” to learn that Hopley was at large, and criticized the parole board for not placing sufficient safeguards on the man.
“It’s hard to underline the importance of ensuring the safety of our kids,” he said in response to a question from CBC News, adding that he hoped that Canada’s Senate would quickly pass a federal bail reform bill that would restrict violent offenders’ movements.
“It is unacceptable that they [the Senate] are sitting on this bill, because it is compromising the safety of British Columbians.”
Kash Heed, a former West Vancouver police chief and B.C. solicitor general, says while many people deserve a chance at rehabilitation, all levels of government need to increase safeguards for high-risk offenders like Hopley.
He says people who are accused of violating long-term supervision agreements should have ankle monitors and GPS trackers in their phones.
According to Heed, parole conditions should mandate treatment and rehabilitation programming for sexual offenders who declined it in custody, like Hopley did.
“Maybe these are the individuals, given the crimes they’ve committed, who need to be thrown in jail and the key thrown away in order for them to certainly protect not only themselves, but more importantly, that we protect society,” he said.
Mason Shell, a registered clinical therapist and executive director for the B.C. Society for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse, says the news of the search may hit other survivors of abuse hard.
“A situation like this certainly has the potential to reignite or exacerbate the effects of trauma in other childhood abuse survivors,” he wrote in a message to CBC News.
Vancouver-based criminal defence lawyer Guillaume Garih says long-term supervision orders are the most stringent conditions release conditions possible, and judges grant them with advice from medical experts.
“[Hopley] was found to be someone who should be given a chance to reintegrate, under very strict supervision, into society,” said the lawyer, who practices at Lower Mainland Law. “Unfortunately it seems he wasted that chance.”
Garih says Hopley risks significant jail time violating the order, but his disappearance doesn’t necessarily mean giving him or others the opportunity to rehabilitate was the wrong decision.
“I think everybody is disappointed when something like this happens, but does it necessarily mean that the system needs to be changed? I don’t think so,” said Garih. “I think that we should try as Canadians to reintegrate individuals — even individuals who have done terrible things.”
Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
A look at Susan Holt, Liberal premier-designate of New Brunswick
Sentencing hearing continues for University of Waterloo gender studies class stabber
Here is the latest on the New Brunswick election
New Brunswick Liberals win majority, Susan Holt first woman to lead province
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio making a difference off the pitch as well as on it
Inequality has broad impacts on the health of Montreal children, report finds
Two dead, one missing in B.C. after mudslide, road washout triggered by heavy rain
Premier-designate of New Brunswick, Susan Holt, is first woman to lead the province
