Justin Mueller is now behind bars after being taken in to custody at an Edmonton home, after warrants were issued for the suspect Friday.
The province-wide manhunt for Mueller lasted less than six hours Friday. In the end, the 28-year-old surrendered himself to Edmonton police.
“Sometimes when you appeal to family, to friends, acquaintances to the allegations made, those people have a lot of influence on one’s life,” Cpl. Barry Larocque with RCMP said.
Mueller is accused of kidnapping a 20-year-old woman at knifepoint as she left her job at the Holiday Inn in Red Deer.
According to police, the woman was leaving her job shortly after midnight at a hotel on Red Deer’s Gasoline Alley, when a man approached her vehicle, brandishing a knife.
The man forced her into the passenger seat. He then drove to a bank where he forced the woman to withdraw money from her account at an ATM.
He then took her to a rural location near Penhold where he sexually assaulted her before driving her back to Red Deer.
After dropping the woman off at a convenience store, Mueller left in her vehicle.
Her ordeal lasted more than two hours.
“Given the severity of the allegations made against him and him leaving the area as we were looking for him, we believe we should be keeping him in custody,” Cpl. Larocque said.
The woman’s SUV was later recovered at a construction site on the west side of Gasoline Alley.
It’s believed Mueller had been in the Red Deer area for several days prior to the attack, working as a seasonal field employee for Predator Drilling.
We can confirm that the accused is a seasonal field employee of Predator Drilling.
Predator Drilling released the following statement: “We would first like to extend our deepest sympathy to the victim and her family in the reported incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.”
RCMP said Mueller would be transferred from Edmonton to Blackfalds near Red Deer, where he will face five charges, including sexual assault with a weapon, kidnapping and theft.
His criminal record dates back to 2009 and includes possession of stolen property under $5000, robbery and break and enter.
Since the alleged attack, the Holiday Inn has introduced a buddy system for its employees and 24 hour patrols of the parking lot.
Despite the arrest, safety will remain top of mind.
“I think it’s a good thing, but it doesn’t change our security measures,” Shazma Charania, an employee at the Holiday Inn said.
As rare as this incident may be, RCMP continue to ask women to be vigilant.
“It’s not a nice thing to say where you have to maybe feel uncomfortable but I think it’s a reality of today’s world that one never really knows what may happen,” Cpl. Larocque said.
Police narrowed in on Mueller as a suspect with the help of tips from the public, surveillance video and information from the victim.
Authorities say the young victim in this case does have strong family support but they acknowledge that she has a long journey towards healing.
“The young lady was at knife point the whole time. She wasn’t physically harmed but certainly the emotional trauma that was placed upon her is unmentionable. It’s a very very serious crime,” Larocque said.
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