Ontario Fugitive Wanted for 35 Years for Alleged Sex Assault of Child Arrested by ICE in California

Charles Billone, 64, was taken into custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in California. He had been on the run from Hamilton Police in Ontario for 35 years. ICE photo

An Ontario man who has been wanted since 1991 for the alleged sexual assault of a child has been apprehended in the United States after evading capture for more than three decades.

A Canada-wide warrant was issued for Charles Peter Billone, 64, on two counts each of sexual assault and sexual interference after he failed to appear in a Hamilton, Ont., court in 1991.

Billone was arrested in Santa Cruz, Calif., earlier this month by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers 35 years after the original warrant was issued.

ICE shared the news of Billone’s arrest on its X account earlier this month and said he remains in ICE custody “pending removal proceedings.” The federal law enforcement agency has confirmed to the media the suspect is currently in custody at the Golden State Annex detention facility.

Billone, who was living in Hamilton, Ont., at the time of the alleged offences is accused of sexually assaulting his nine-year old stepdaughter for three years.

A Hamilton Police Service spokesperson confirmed that the man arrested by ICE is the same suspect it has been seeking for the past number of decades.

“We have been working closely with the Crown’s office on this case,” the spokesperson said in an email. “At this time, there are no extradition proceedings.”

The U.S. authorities have not announced the exact date of Billone’s arrest, how he was caught, or when he might be extradited, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security also commented on his capture.

“Foreign criminals cannot hide in the shadows—we will do whatever it takes to find them and remove them from our nation,” the department wrote in a social media post.

The passage of time between Billone’s arrest and the alleged offences will not impact the charges he will face if extradited because there is no statute of limitations in Canada for criminal charges related to the sexual assault.

“This means that it does not matter when the assault occurred, the police will open a file and complete a thorough investigation based upon the evidence available,” the RCMP said.

Sexual assault of a victim under the age of 16 carries mandatory minimum prison sentence of between one and 14 years under the Criminal Code. Sexual interference, which is the direct or indirect touching of a child younger than 16 for a sexual purpose, carries the same minimum and maximum penalties.