B.C. tot 'not scared' of alleged abductor
Exclusive interview with CBC News
CBC News
Posted: Oct 9, 2011 7:44 PM PT
Last Updated: Oct 9, 2011 7:39 PM PT
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The parents of a toddler who was kidnapped from his Sparwood, B.C., home last month say he did not react with fear when he saw himself on television next to his alleged abductor.
The full interview with Paul and Tammy Hebert sheds more light on the remarkable story of three-year-old Kienan, who seems to have suffered no ill effects from his ordeal.
"They put the news flashes up and he'd see them and he wouldn't be scared or run and hide, or come cuddle. He'd say, 'That's me and that's him,'" Tammy Hebert said in an exclusive interview with the CBC's Ian Hanomansing.
"He called [the suspect] Jason, I don't know why. He said, 'That's me and that's Jason' — not scared, not hiding under the couch or how you think he'd be if he were mistreated. If he was scared or hurt then he would be afraid, but he's not."
The Heberts woke up on Sept. 7 to discover their son missing from his bed in the family home.
Police quickly identified Randall Peter Hopley, 46 — a Sparwood resident with a lengthy criminal history — as a suspect in the case.
Following an emotional plea by the Heberts for Kienan's return, the boy was found days later sleeping on a couch in the family home.
Hopley was arrested several days later at an abandoned cabin in nearby Alberta.
'We made some promises'
In the interview, Paul Hebert revealed he complied when police asked him to meet with the alleged kidnapper, face to face, immediately after his capture.
The Heberts say they can't reveal details about what was said at that meeting until the trial is over, but Paul Hebert said, "We made some promises in there and we hope he follows through. To his mother — he's a son as well to his parents — and hopefully he keeps in contact with his mother and they keep that relationship going as well."
Hopley has been charged with kidnapping a person under the age of 14 and is being held in custody while he undergoes a psychiatric evaluation.
The Heberts, a deeply religious family, say they're just grateful their son was brought home safe and unharmed.
"Love your children," Tammy Hebert said. "Cuddle with them at night, read them their stories, tuck them in, because you're not guaranteed tomorrow."
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