UPDATE: Man accused of holding girl captive at remote Sask. cabin opts for trial by judge and jury
Saskatchewan RCMP have released the name and charges against the man accused of holding a girl against her will in a cabin near Île-à-la-Crosse for more than four days.
Aaron Gardiner, who is from Île-à-la-Crosse, has been charged with nine offences, including unlawful confinement, assault and possession for the purpose of trafficking, according to a statement.
He has also been charged with two firearms offences and overcoming resistance, defined in the Criminal Code as, “attempts… to choke, suffocate or strangle another person… to render another person insensible, unconscious or incapable of resistance.” It is an indictable offence.
Gardiner was arrested on Friday morning when RCMP and the provincial emergency response team (ERT) used two Canadian Armed Forces Griffon helicopters to land at a cabin near Île-à-la-Crosse.
Police received a report that a girl was being held hostage and called on the CAF to help since they determined Lac-Île-à-la-Crosse was unsafe to cross.
A previous statement said the girl had been safely rescued and returned to her family. It also said she had suffered minor bruises
Gardiner has been remanded to court in Meadow Lake and RCMP are continuing to investigate.