The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) has released new images of convicted sex offender Randall Hopley, as the Canada-wide search warrant for him stretched into its fifth day. “These pictures show the distinctive running shoes Hopley was wearing and a cart he was pulling when he left his halfway house Saturday afternoon,” said VPD Const. Tania Visintin in a Wednesday press release.“We believe Hopley is taking deliberate steps to avoid being found, and he may be hiding out in a rural or isolated area.”The VPD issued a Canada-wide manhunt for Hopley on Saturday after he failed to return to his Vancouver halfway house that night. READ MORE: Notorious BC child sex offender Hopley on the loose, wanted Canada-wideIn 2011, he abducted a three-year-old boy from his Sparwood, BC, home and kept him in an abandoned cabin for four days. He ended up bringing the boy home. He was sentenced in 2013 and spent six years in prison before being released on parole in 2018 with a 10-year supervision order. VPD issued a public warning of his release at the time, stating he was a significant risk to harming young boys. In this case, VPD said 18 full-time investigators have been assigned to it, with support from dozens of frontline patrol officers, including its Marine and Mounted units. It added investigators have reviewed 40 tips, including sightings in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond, Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast; conducted ground searches where he was last seen; searched locations and businesses he frequented; searched wooded and isolated areas in Vancouver, including beaches and parks; notified shelters, libraries, community centres, schools, businesses, and transit in Vancouver; flagged him on a national law enforcement database; and notified other law enforcement agencies, border services, airlines, and BC Ferries of his disappearance. It knows he boarded a bus at 3:10 p.m. near Main and Cordova streets after leaving his halfway house on Saturday. He got off the bus at 3:26 p.m. at Main and Broadway. At 4:08 p.m., he removed his electronic monitoring bracelet near Main and East Eighth Ave. Hopley is described as five ft. nine in., with short dark hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black baseball hat, black pants and dark blue running shoes with white markings and soles. He has a dark birthmark or mole near the hairline on the left side of his head. The items he had with him were a black fanny pack and a pulling cart. Visintin concluded by saying the VPD is “working around the clock to find Hopley.” “We share the fear and anxiety the community feels over his disappearance, given his history of violent offences against children, and we thank everyone for their patience and support while we work to bring Hopley back into custody,” she said. If Hopley is found, the public is asked to call 911 and not approach him. Anyone with information about his disappearance is asked to call the VPD tipline at (604) 717-0601.
