Abandoned Amber Alert victim walked to rural property: Police
Prince Albert’s police chief said the first Amber Alert activated by Prince Albert Police was a success thanks to the caring citizens of Saskatchewan who shared a missing girl’s photo with nearly two million people.
An eight-year-old girl was abducted from a playground near Ecole Vickers Public School in the Crescent Heights area of Prince Albert at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4. Chief Troy Cooper said the investigation began as soon as the girl was reported missing by family members, and the Amber Alert system was activated once the officers obtained school surveillance footage to determine an abduction had occurred.
Roughly five hours after the alert, police announced the girl was located and their hunt for the suspect began. Registered sex offender Jarrod John Charles, 19, was arrested without incident a few hours later at a business in the West Hill area. He now faces numerous criminal charges including kidnapping and sexual assault.
While missing person cases and abductions are given the highest priority by police, Cooper said the wide-reaching response from concerned citizens contributed directly to locating the girl.