Three people are facing kidnapping and robbery charges in connection with an alleged abduction in Sarnia, Ont., city police say.
The Sarnia Police Service received a report of an abduction Nov. 8 in the area of Kathleen and Walnut avenues, police said in a press release.
“Officers from the Operations Division responded quickly, locating the victim and beginning a coordinated investigation,” police said.
The investigation revealed that the victim was forcibly taken to a nearby apartment building where they were restrained, assaulted, and threatened with a handgun, police said.
Police have not released the name, age, or gender of the victim or if they sustained any injuries during the assault.
Officers executed a “high risk” warrant the following day to search an apartment complex on Walnut Avenue in connection with the abduction. A police dog unearthed illegal drugs during the search, leading to drug charges, police said.
Shane Robinson-Young, Ethan Hawke, and April Rathmell have each been charged with kidnapping and robbery using a restricted or prohibited firearm in connection with the abduction, police said.
Both Rathmell and Robinson-Young face an additional charge of assault, police said. Robinson-Young also faces a litany of other charges including unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, assault with a weapon, use of a firearm while committing an offence, knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm, careless use of a firearm, weapon, prohibited device or ammunition, uttering threats, pointing a firearm, drug possession for the purpose of trafficking and two counts of failing to comply with a probation order.
A bail hearing for the accused was held Nov. 10, police said.
The last kidnapping to occur in Sarnia was in September of 2023 when a person was attacked with a bat and made to undress before being forcibly put into a vehicle, Sarnia police said in a press release.
Officers made a traffic stop nearby and found one victim in the back seat and one in the trunk. Neither victim sustained significant physical injuries, police said, adding the accused parties and victims were known to each other.
A male and female suspect were arrested in connection with the kidnappings but the charges against them were dropped this year after the pair signed peace bonds.
A peace bond is a protection order made by a court under the Criminal Code, according to a government website. It is used when it is believed a defendant is likely to commit a criminal offence, but there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an offence has actually been committed.
Breaching any condition of a peace bond is a criminal offence and is punishable by up to four years imprisonment.
