Randall Hopley removed ankle monitor to avoid court date: Vancouver police

The search continues for high-risk sex offender Randall Hopley who is wanted on a Canada-wide arrest warrant after he walked away from his halfway house in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Saturday.

Hopley, 58, has previously been convicted of the abduction of a person under the age of 14, sex assault, assault and break-and-enters.

Vancouver police said he was likely worried about an upcoming court appearance on Monday and took “deliberate actions” to avoid it.

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According to police, Hopley told several people that he was going to a nearby thrift store on the day of his disappearance but removed his ankle bracelet a short time later.

“There’s understandably a lot a concern, a lot of people in the community who have a lot of fear and anxiety over the fact that Hopley has again gone missing,” said Sgt. Steve Addison.

“It’s quite likely he’s laying low he’s hiding out, he doesn’t want to be found as a result of some anxiety he had about this upcoming court date. We’re doing everything we can, we’re working very closely with other law enforcement agencies and we’re gonna rely on the public with hopes someone will recognize him from the pictures that we’ve released”.

The 58-year-old made international headlines in September 2011 after he kidnapped a three-year-old boy from his home in Sparwood, triggering an Amber Alert and a Canada-wide search for the child.

Hopley returned the boy unharmed four days later and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to six years, serving his full term until October 2018.

The Correctional Service of Canada has assessed Hopley as a high risk for violent and sexual re-offending.

Police said although Hopley has fully completed his sentence and has been released, he is bound by a 10-year long-term supervision order to help manage his risk factors.

Addison said Hopley was accused of violating his supervision orders earlier this year and had been released to a halfway house while awaiting the outcome of that case when he walked away.

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Speaking from Halifax on Sunday, B.C. Premier David Eby says he is angry that Hopley was able to walk away from his halfway house and is expressing concern about the protections put in place.

“I’m certainly disturbed, like all British Columbians, to hear about the release of a sex offender who targets children. That he was insufficiently supervised and able to walk away from a halfway house. I don’t understand why there weren’t sufficient safeguards by the parole board to prevent this from happening,” Eby said.

“I think everybody with a four-year-old in their life is thinking about that child right now and the fact that this man is at large.”

Police say the 58-year-old could still be in Vancouver or a neighbouring municipality and the department’s high-risk offender team is among the units searching for him.

Hopley is described as five-foot-nine, 150 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He often has a beard.

Anyone who sees Hopley is asked to call 911.