Suspect in Saskatchewan Amber Alert previously charged with abduction

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — The parents of an eight-year-old girl allegedly abducted from a Saskatchewan playground say their daughter is doing well.

Her father said on social media police found her “safe and unhurt.”

“I really want to say thank you to everyone who has offered help, prayers and support,” the girl’s mother wrote on Facebook. “Our sweetheart … is good.”

An Amber Alert was issued Tuesday for the girl after she disappeared from a playground in Prince Albert, Sask. Police said the girl was playing by herself that afternoon in the city’s Crescent Acres neighbourhood when a man entered the park.

He was seen hanging around for about 15 minutes, until the child left and he followed. Police said he was seen talking to the girl against a school wall, then grabbed her and put her into the back seat of his car. He then climbed into the front and drove away.

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The girl’s family went to the park, found she was missing and called police at about 3:30 p.m. The Amber Alert was issued at 7:53 p.m.

A little over an hour after the alert was issued, police said the girl had been located but gave no other details.

“She was taken to hospital for assessment when she was located. Other than that we can’t comment on her status,” said police spokeswoman Alanna Adamko.

Adamko would not say whether any information from the public helped lead to the youngster’s recovery and the arrest.

“I would say we were taken aback by the outpouring of public support. We had hundreds of thousands of hits on social media and hundreds of calls and messages from people wanting to provide assistance in any way possible. It was much appreciated.”

A suspect in the abduction, Jared John Charles, 19, of St. Louis, was taken into custody in Prince Albert around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday.

On Wednesday night, Prince Albert police said he is being charged with abduction, kidnapping, abandoning a child, criminal negligence, forcible confinement, sexual assault, sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching.

He was to make a court appearance Thursday morning at Prince Albert provincial court.

Court documents show Charles, who is also identified as Jarrod Charles, was charged with abducting two boys early last fall in La Ronge, Sask. However, the charges were later stayed.

Crown prosecutor Luke Coupal said there was no evidence that Charles intended to take the children from their parents.

“That’s not what happened here,” Coupal said Wednesday.

“Jarrod was friends with the boys. They regularly hung out and one of the boys contacted his parents and explained that he would like to continue hanging out with Jarrod and the parent said ‘No, come home’ and the child refused.”

Charles and the boys were later found at his grandmother’s home in the community of St. Louis, about 275 kms south of La Ronge.

“They were playing video games, eating pop and chips, so the boys were perfectly fine and were taken back to their parents,” said Coupal.

Charles is currently on probation after pleading guilty to sexual interference.

In December 2016, he was sentenced to three and a half months time served and three years probation for a case involving a nine-year-old girl.

“You might think that three and a half months seems a little odd,” said Coupal.

“We need to bear in mind that sexual interference spans a spectrum of everything from possibly a kiss that has a sexual nature right up to violent sexual assaults, and the judge has to determine where on that spectrum is the appropriate sentence based on the facts.”

Coupal could not provide any further details.

The teen was ordered to get sexual offender counselling, not to be alone with children under the age of 16, not to be in parks or pools unless he’s with an adult who is aware of his conviction and not to use social media to communicate with anyone under the age of 16.

He was also told to register with the National Sexual Offender Registry.

— By Jennifer Graham in Regina and Ken Trimble in Edmonton 

The Canadian Press

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