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Hopley sentenced for breach of probation

The man accused of kidnapping three-year-old Kienan Hebert last September pled guilty to a breach of probation charge Monday.

By Sally MacDonald

Townsman Staff

The man accused of kidnapping three-year-old Kienan Hebert last September pled guilty to a breach of probation charge Monday.

Randall Hopley, 46, is charged with kidnapping, abduction of a person under 14, and break and enter with the intent to commit an offence.

He also faced two breach of probation charges because when he is alleged to have committed the crime, he had just recently been released from custody.

In Cranbrook Provincial Court on Monday, January 23, Hopley pled guilty to one of those probation charges. Judge Grant Sheard sentenced him to 30 days in jail.

Hopley is currently being held in Kamloops Regional Correction Centre awaiting trial on the kidnapping charges. His next court date on those charges is February 20 in Cranbrook.

After Hopley pled guilty to the breach charge and was sentenced, Crown counsel dropped the second breach charge.

On September 7, 2011, Hopley allegedly kidnapped three-year-old Kienan Hebert from his family’s home in Sparwood.

Police issued an amber alert, saying that Kienan disappeared from his home wearing Scooby Doo boxer shorts.

Scores of volunteers joined emergency personnel on a massive manhunt, but Kienan was mysteriously returned to the family home physically unharmed four days later after his parents gave a public, emotional plea.

On September 13, Hopley was found by police sniffer dogs at a gravel pit in Crowsnest Lake, Alberta, and taken into custody.

In December, Hopley opted out of a bail hearing, and instead will stay in custody until his case goes to trial.

A psychiatric assessment of Hopley has been performed but it is protected by a publication ban.