By Charlene Tebbutt

Charles sentencing: After abduction, Amber Alert, child given knife by assailant

Jul 4, 2018 | 6:23 PM

WARNING- Some of the facts in this story may be disturbing to readers.

A young girl abducted and sexually assaulted last year was left to make to her way out of dense forest east of Prince Albert with a bag of Rice Krispie snacks, root beer and a large knife.

Those were some of the disturbing details that came out in court during sentencing arguments Wednesday for Jared Charles.

Charles, 20, had previously pleaded guilty to kidnapping and sexual assault in relation to the incident, which happened exactly one year ago, on July 4, 2017.

In Prince Albert Provincial Court Wednesday, court heard the girl was with a relative at a local playground when the incident happened. The relative had gone to get some water and the girl asked to stay at the park. Surveillance video from the school overlooking the playground was played in court and showed Charles, wearing a red T-shirt and black pants, follow the girl. He soon pushed the girl into his car and drove off, just a mere 20 or 30 seconds before the girl’s relative returned with the water.

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Crown prosecutor Cam Scott said Charles took the girl outside the city, to an abandoned home in a remote and secluded area of the forest. There, the girl was sexually assaulted before being sent on her way with the bag of snacks and the knife.

The girl walked for about seven kilometres before finding her way to an acreage just outside the city several hours later, where homeowners called police. She told police Charles asked her questions outside the school and she only answered one before “he stole me.”

Charles was arrested later on July 4, 2017 at a local eatery. When questioned by police around 10:40 p.m. that evening, he admitted to the abduction, saying he took the girl because she was “small and weak.”

“I’m not sorry for what I did,” he said. “I abducted her knowing I’d get caught.”

When asked if he had anything to say to the family of the young girl, Scott said Charles told police “see you in Hell.”

Scott asked for a jail sentence of nine years in the case, saying Charles has a history of FASD and ADD and gravitates toward younger children. Charles has been convicted previously of sexual assault and was charged with abducting a person under 14, although those charges were later dropped.

Charles was still on probation when the abduction happened last year, which sparked a province-wide Amber Alert.   

“This is someone that has problems with impulse control,” Scott told Provincial Court Judge Hugh Harradence Wednesday in court. “This individual is going to have to be monitored very carefully.”

Charles’ defence lawyer, Greg Chovin, said a jail term of five years was more appropriate in the case. Charles had a very difficult childhood, Chovin said, including family issues with substance abuse, the death of his mother at a young age and his sister’s suicide. He bounced around between numerous foster homes throughout his youth, he said.

While Chovin recognized the case includes “a fairly horrific set of facts,” he said Charles is still a young man.

“Protection of the public can be done in more ways than just giving a very long jail sentence,” Chovin said. Charles appeared in custody but did not say anything during the sentencing arguments. Harradence has reserved his decision on sentencing until August 1.

Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt