Warrant issued for Okanagan dangerous offender who has eluded police since April

A judge in Kelowna, B.C., has issued a warrant for a longtime offender who not only failed to show up for court, but has been wanted on a Canada-wide warrant since April.

Wilfred “Willie” Charles Baptiste was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2006 for an aggravated assault that left a Summerland man with broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Following the time served, the judge ordered Baptiste be under long term supervision (LTSO) for 10 years.

“An LTSO begins after the offender has completed their sentence,” Parole Board of Canada spokesperson Lisa Saether said. “It extends the length of time that the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) supervises and supports an offender in the community beyond the completion of their regular sentence, for up to 10 years after they have served their custodial sentence.”

“The arrest warrant was issued after Baptiste failed to meet the conditions of his release by missing curfew at his designated residence in Kelowna,” Const. Solana Paré said in a news release on Wednesday, adding that two more provincial warrants for him have been issued.

Baptiste is believed to be in the South Okanagan, but police said they have exhausted all avenues to find the 46-year-old man, whom they say the courts deemed a dangerous offender.

“Baptiste has an extensive criminal record out of the Okanagan, has previous ties to the Penticton area and should be considered violent,” Paré said.

He is described as Indigenous, 6 feet 3 inches tall, 241 lbs, with black hair, brown eyes and several tattoos. Those include a wolf on his left upper arm, flames on his left forearm, and a band on his right upper arm, police said.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to not approach him and call their local police, Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.