Randall Hopley today (March 26) pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court in Cranbrook to abducting a person under 14 as well as breaking and entering to commit an indictable offence.

As has been the norm since Hopley, 46, was arrested in September after abducting three-year-old Kienan Hebert, he appeared in court via video feed from Kamloops.

Hopley is to be sentenced during a hearing set for July 18 and 19. However, we won’t be sentenced for kidnapping as that charge was stayed by the Crown.

The abduction of Kienen resulted in one of the largest manhunts in East Kootenay history, after Hopley removed him from his Sparwood home during the late evening of Sept. 6 or early morning of Sept. 7. After four days, Kienen was returned to his vacated family home in the early morning.

Hopley was arrested Sept. 13 near Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. About 50 police officers and hundreds of volunteers took part in the searches and social media such as Facebook and Twitter came alive with re-posts and re-tweets as people tried to limit the range Hopley could cover by blanketing his picture and the story as far afield as possible.

e-KNOW

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