New pictures released of sex offender Randall Hopley, still at large 4 days after leaving halfway house

High-risk sex offender Randal Hopley remains at large four days after removing his electronic monitoring ankle bracelet and missing curfew at his Vancouver halfway house near the Downtown Eastside.

Sgt. Steve Addison said finding Hopley is the highest priority of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD).

"We don't currently know where he is. We believe he is taking deliberate steps to avoid being found but we're doing everything we can to find him," said Addison.

"As this now stretches into the fourth day where he hasn't been located, the concern for the community, because of his history, increases."

A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for the 58-year-old. VPD released new pictures of the sex offender on Wednesday evening, and say they believe he may be hiding in a rural or isolated area.

Police have received reports of Hopley sightings from the Sunshine Coast, Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, Abbotsford, Vancouver and beyond. Addison said all tips are being investigated either by the VPD or the police force of jurisdiction.

"We've investigated more than a dozen sightings and reports," he said. "None have panned out."

Hopley was declared a long-term offender and served a six-year prison sentence for the 2011 abduction of a three-year-old boy in southeastern British Columbia. 

He was released in 2018 on a 10-year, long-term supervision order and moved to a halfway house in Vancouver.

In a written statement published by The Canadian Press, the father of the child Hopley abducted said his family was not notified that Hopley was missing.

"Randall was released [in 2011] two weeks before my son was abducted,'' said Paul Hebert. "So that says it there, back in 2011, that he is a repeat offender, but more so he is not mentally equipped to be self-sustaining on his own. So why is there not a system in place for someone like Randall?"

Hopley's criminal record also included convictions for assault and sexual crimes, including three sex offences against children. Hebert said in 2011 that his son was not sexually assaulted by Hopley during the abduction. Hopley did not face any assault charges or sex-offence charges related to the abduction.

Police believe Hopley cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet to avoid a Nov. 6 court appearance on two counts of breaching his long-term supervision order in 2022. Each charge carries a maximum 10-year jail sentence if found guilty.

Addison said the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) outfitted Hopley with the ankle bracelet earlier this year to monitor his movements. The device alerted the CSC when it was tampered with and removed, and CSC notified the VPD.

Hopley's ankle bracelet was recovered by police in a lane near Main Street and East 8th Avenue, according to Addison.

Vancouver police say that the 58-year-old boarded a bus at 3:10 p.m. near Main Street and Cordova Street on Saturday, and got off the bus at 3:26 p.m.at Main Street and Broadway. It was at 4:08 p.m. when he removed his ankle bracelet.

Hopley is described as five feet nine inches tall and weighing 176 pounds, with brown hair and hazel-coloured eyes. He was last seen wearing a black coat, black pants and black hat, dark blue running shoes with white markings, carrying a black fanny pack and pulling a cart.

He also has a dark birthmark or mole near the hairline on the left side of his head, according to VPD.