Northern Ont. parents track down son, 9, taken by Brampton man

A 35-year-old man from southern Ontario was arrested in Sault Ste. Marie Wednesday and charged after allegedly luring and abducting a northern Ontario child.

Ontario Provincial Police started the investigation around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday after a nine-year-old boy in Thessalon was approached by a man driving a yellow Camaro and offered a toy and ice cream.

A 'stock photo' of a yellow 2011 model Chevrolet Camaro provided by OPP as a reference for the make and model of the vehicle involved in a suspicious incident with a child on Aug. 15/23. (Supplied)

The boy was fishing by himself at the river when the man approached saying he was a real estate agent looking for property in the area, OPP said in a news release.

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OPP Const. Phil Young told CTV News in a phone interview he is not sure what exactly was said to get the boy into the car, but someone who knew the family saw what happened and called the parents right away to tell them what happened.

Thessalon is a small town with a population of about 1,260 people and many in the community know each other.

"A yellow Camaro in town sticks out," Young said.

After receiving the call, Young said the boy's parents went driving around to look for their son.

They found him shortly after in another area of town inside the man's car eating an ice cream, he said.

The parents "had some words with the driver," took the boy home and called police, giving them the description of the accused and vehicle, Young said.

He said the boy is OK.

Sault Ste. Marie police found the Camaro in a local plaza, about 90 kilometres away from where the incident with the boy happened, and contacted OPP.

The Brampton man was arrested around 2:30 p.m. and is charged with abduction of a person under 14 – take or entice.

CTV News confirmed with the Sault courthouse the accused is being held in custody in Blind River.

The accused attended video bail court in the Sault on Thursday and will remain in jail until a surety is found. Another court date has been scheduled for Monday.

The allegation has not been proven in court.

 

"Parents and youths are reminded to be aware of their surroundings to ensure personal safety at all times. When possible, avoid walking alone, have a safety plan in mind for those "just in case" situations, and if you have a cell phone - dial 911 in emergencies," OPP said.