Police captured the man wanted in connection with three killings in southern Ontario on Tuesday night, one hour after a cottager in Quebec came face-to-face with the fugitive and phoned 911.

Jesse Imeson, 22, had been wanted in connection with the July slayings of a Windsor bartender and an elderly couple from the Lake Huron community of Dashwood.

Jesse Imeson, 22, was captured in Quebec on Tuesday night.
(Ontario Provincial Police)

Quebec provincial police said Imeson broke into a cottage in Portage-du-Fort, west of Ottawa and near the Ontario border, and encountered a cottager inside.

Imeson ran out the back door and into a wooded area, police said. The cottager, who was not harmed, phoned for help.

"He did the right thing," Sgt. Michel Brunet told CBCNews.ca from Quebec police headquarters in Montreal. "We had told people not to do anything because of the danger, and phone police. That's what he did.

"He gave us very good information."

Quebec police called Ontario Provincial Police, who quickly surrounded the area, aided by helicopters and police dogs. Police from both provinces had Imeson surrounded by 8:45 p.m., Brunet said.

Imeson, armed with two rifles, surrendered peacefully.

"He had nowhere to go," Brunet said.

Imeson is being held in Quebec, but will be transferred to Ontario. He had not been charged Tuesday night. 

Pickup truck found in area

Imeson was captured near the area where a stolen pickup truck connected to the killings was found.

Police said the 2006 GMC Sierra, found in the woods near Renfrew, Ont., belonged to William and Helene Regier, who were found dead in their farmhouse on July 23.

Police believe their killer drove the couple's truck 600 kilometres to the Renfrew area.

Along with the Regier slayings, Imeson was also sought in the death of bartender Carlos Rivera, 25.

Rivera's body was found July 19 in a room Imeson rented at a boarding house in Windsor.

A Canada-wide warrant was issued for Imeson's arrest for three counts of first-degree murder, with the U.S. TV program America's Most Wanted joining in the manhunt last week by listing Imeson as a top fugitive on its website.

Residents were nervous

When news emerged Tuesday that the Regiers' pickup truck was found near Renfrew, residents in the area and nearby Quebec said they were nervous that Imeson might be hiding out in their communities.

"I couldn't believe it. People killing other people. I can't believe it," Sylvia Turcotte, who lives 20 minutes from where the truck was found, told CBC News.

Residents are relieved at the news of Imeson's arrest, Brunet said.

"I think the people are very, very happy," he said. "They knew there was a dangerous man around."

With files from the Canadian Press