Boy, 17, charged, trio wanted for St. Catharines gang sex assault
The charges suggest the woman was sexually assaulted at gunpoint and an intimate image was later distributed
Article content
A 17-year-old boy faces a slew of charges and three others – two men, 24 and 19, and a boy, 17 – are sought for an alleged gang sexual assault during a break-in at a St. Catharines home.
Niagara Regional Police claim the violence occurred when four males broke into a residence near Welland Ave. and Lake St. and sexually assaulted a woman on Sept. 15.
“Prior to the males leaving, they stole multiple items from the female’s residence,” police alleged in a news release, explaining the woman suffered “non-life-threatening physical injuries.”
Police said officers executed search warrants at residences in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines on Friday and one suspect was arrested.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Boy, 17, charged, trio wanted for St. Catharines gang sex assault Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
A 17-year-old Niagara Falls boy faces charges that include breaking-and-entering; theft under $5,000; gang sexual assault; sexual assault with a firearm; sexual assault causing bodily harm; mischief under $5,000; theft under $5,000; use of a firearm during the commission of an offence; and distributing an intimate image without consent.
The accused can’t be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Police said the hunt for the three other suspects, wanted on similar charges, is ongoing.
One suspect, a 17-year-old St. Catharines boy, can’t be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
But the other two suspects are men and investigators have released images of them hoping the public can help track them down.
They are identified as Kieren Ennis, 24, of Atwood North Perth, Larry Smith, 19, of St. Catharines.
“This appears to be a targeted event,” police said. “Detectives have reason to believe there may be witnesses that have more information about this incident.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 905-688-4111, option 3, ext. 10029535, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.