Wanted sex offender Randall Hopley arrested by off-duty officer outside Vancouver station

Police say high-risk sex offender Randall Hopley has been arrested in Vancouver.

Vancouver police told Global News that Hopley was arrested around 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Sgt. Steve Addison with the Vancouver police confirmed that an off-duty officer arriving at work saw Hopley standing outside the station on East Cordova Street and took him into custody.

Addison later confirmed that Hopley was going to turn himself in because he was cold.

3:07 Randall Hopley arrested outside Vancouver police station by off-duty officer

Hopley had been missing for 10 days, after walking away from his Vancouver halfway house on Nov. 4, cutting off his electronic monitoring device a short time later.

Police said finding the high-risk 58-year-old was their top priority and had up to 25 investigators and front-line officers on the case.

Addison said Tuesday that officers followed up on numerous tips over the course of the investigation, many of which involved an “extensive amount of work.”

1:23 Randall Hopley arrested in Vancouver Tuesday morning

He said that investigators think the intense pressure on Hopley eventually led to his arrest on Tuesday and that Hopley was appearing to try to change his appearance when he was taken into custody.

“Ultimately we believe the intense focus on Hopley drove him to ground,” Addison added.

He said police will be recommending charges to Crown counsel, and that Hopley remains in custody.

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Hopley has a violent criminal past including sexual offences against children and assault.

He had completed a six-year prison term for the 2011 abduction of a three-year-old boy in southeastern B.C. and was then released in 2018 and living at a halfway house.

He was arrested again in January 2023, for violating the conditions of the 10-year long-term supervision order.

When Hopley went missing, Vancouver police said they believed he was concerned about an upcoming court appearance and feared he would be returned to custody.

-with files from Emily Lazatin and The Canadian Press