Suspects in Ontario Hotel Home Invasion and Sexual Assault Remain At Large

Suspects in Ontario Hotel Home Invasion and Sexual Assault Remain At Large
An Ontario Provincial Police cruiser is seen in Vaughan, Ont., in a file photo. The Canadian Press/Andrew Lahodynskyj
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Police in Renfrew are seeking suspects involved in a home invasion and a sexual assault at two hotels in the eastern Ontario town, with the suspects from both incidents still at large.

Renfrew Ontario Provincial Officers (OPP) officers responded to an inn on Gibbons Road after receiving reports that two men had entered a room, attacked the occupants with what is believed to be bear spray, and stole property before fleeing shortly after 9 p.m. on Aug. 31, police said in a social media post.

Additional officers, including police dogs, were called to search for the suspects, who still have not been apprehended. The “targeted” attack is under investigation by the Renfrew OPP and Renfrew OPP Crime Unit, police said.

The search was initiated just days after a man wanted in connection with a sexual assault at a local motel evaded police capture, prompting a shelter-in-place order in the town located one hour west of Ottawa.

Renfrew residents living between the Millennium Trail and the western bank of the Bonnechere River were asked to remain indoors beginning at approximately 9 p.m. on Aug. 28, while police conducted a search for a suspect who was reportedly armed with a gun.

The search began after a woman told police a man held her against her will and sexually assaulted her at a motel on Stewart Street.

“The male had already left the motel but was later spotted walking in the area,” police said in a Facebook post. “Officers attempted to take him into custody, but the male fled onto the Algonquin Trail.”

A contingent of officers, including those from the Renfrew Detachment, the OPP Emergency Response Team, the Canine Unit, and the Tactics and Rescue Unit, were called in to broaden the search, police said.

Police said they asked residents to shelter in place “out of an abundance of caution” while the preliminary search was conducted. The order was lifted at 1 a.m. on Aug. 29.

The suspect is “known” to the female victim, police said, but did not release his name.

He is described as a black male standing between five-feet-nine inches and six-feet tall, with hair on the crown of his head and shaved sides. He sports a goatee, a five-star tattoo positioned above his left eyebrow, and an additional tattoo located beneath his left eye. He was last seen wearing a purple plaid jacket, and possibly black shorts and a blue shirt, police said.

Renfrew OPP is urging anyone who sees the suspect to avoid approaching him and to immediately call 9-1-1. Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
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Jennifer Cowan
Jennifer Cowan
Author
Jennifer Cowan is a writer and editor with the Canadian edition of The Epoch Times.