Abducted P.A. girl was released, went for help
Police official praises ‘outstanding’ response by public to Amber Alert
The eight-year-old girl abducted in Prince Albert last week was released in a wooded area outside the city after an Amber Alert was issued and then walked by herself to a rural property for help.
“Police received a call from a rural citizen reporting that a young girl matching the description that was provided through Amber Alert had walked into their yard and was with them,” said Prince Albert police Insp. Jason Stonechild on Wednesday during a press conference at the P.A. police headquarters.
“RCMP officers and members from our service immediately attended to this farmyard where officers were able to confirm that we had located our subject of the Amber Alert. The victim was immediately taken to the Victoria Hospital by our members for proper assessment.”
Stonechild would not say how far the child had to walk or how long she was on her own.
The girl was reported missing from a Prince Albert playground on July 4 around 3:30 p.m.
The girl’s mother said the girl’s grandmother had been watching her, but then left for five minutes to get a bottle of water.
Police began searching for the girl and viewed surveillance footage that showed a shaggy-haired man grabbing the girl and putting her in the back seat of a car.
An Amber Alert was issued and police were able to confirm with probation services that the man captured in surveillance footage was 19-year-old Jarrod John Charles, who is also referred to as Jared John Charles.
Stonechild said after the girl was found safe Tuesday night, roughly an hour after the Amber Alert was issued, a member of the public called police to say Charles was inside a local business. Officers responded and arrested him without incident.
The public’s response to the Amber Alert was “outstanding,” Stonechild said. A post about the missing girl on the police service’s Facebook page was viewed nearly two million times — a number twice the population of Saskatchewan.
“We were really happy and, I guess, excited to see that kind of response from an Amber Alert. We know that in our own community people cared.
“In the city we saw people driving around with the information looking for the suspect, looking for the suspect vehicle, and that was certainly appreciated and it’s a real necessity in cases like this,” Stonechild said.
Charles has been charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, kidnapping, abduction, abandoning a child, criminal negligence, forcible confinement in connection with the abduction. He is also accused of breaching court-ordered conditions.
Stonechild said the investigation is continuing. He would not comment on whether additional charges are possible.
Charles remains in custody and is scheduled to appear Friday at Prince Albert provincial court.