Quebec man arrested in Amber Alert case injured, transferred to Ontario hospital
Man was to be released by OPP into custody of Quebec police
Ugo Fredette, the man involved in an Amber Alert where a six-year-old boy went missing for almost 24 hours, was transferred by ambulance after his bail hearing to a hospital in Ontario, where he was kept overnight.
Sgt. Carolle Dionne, the spokesperson for Ontario Provincial Police, said that the injuries occurred Saturday afternoon sometime between 2 and 3:30 p.m. and required medical attention.
The OPP will not say how Fredette became injured or divulge the nature of the man's injuries, but say that his planned transfer back to Quebec will depend on his hospital evaluation.
Fredette was being held in custody in Renfrew, where Radio-Canada, CBC's French-language services, reported he was first taken to hospital Saturday.
Sources told CBC and Radio-Canada he was later transferred to Ottawa's Civic Hospital. OPP vehicles were at the hospital Saturday night, territory generally not covered by the provincial police's mandate.
In a phone call with CBC News Saturday night, Dionne said she could not confirm Fredette's whereabouts, citing the Privacy Act, but said he would be kept in an Ontario hospital overnight.
Fredette appeared at a bail hearing in an Ontario weekend court via video conference around noon Saturday. The name of the boy can no longer be released as the boy is now in the care of Quebec youth services.
Fredette was found safe on Friday in Dacre, Ont., not far from the Quebec border, after an Amber Alert.
During the bail hearing, the judge and Crown decided Fredette would be released into the custody of Quebec provincial police to answer any charges issued by them, said Dionne.
"The Sûreté has been informed of this decision and they are on their way," Dionne said at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
She said charges relating to offenses in the province of Quebec take precedence over charges the OPP would issue. The OPP's investigation is still ongoing.
"Right now the priority is on the SQ investigation," Dionne said.
She said it wasn't clear when the SQ would arrive to pick up Fredette at the Renfrew detachment of the OPP where he was in custody, about 90 kilometres west of Ottawa.
The SQ would not comment on the situation when contacted by CBC News early Saturday afternoon.
Expanding Amber Alerts
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said he's extremely relieved that the child is safe.
"Each Quebecer saw themselves as the parent, or brother, sister, saw themselves as involved," Couillard said Saturday morning.
He noted that access to cellphones falls under federal jurisdiction, but that the province is still working to move in that direction.
An Amber Alert was triggered in this case when a woman was found dead at a house in Saint-Eustache Thursday.
Police have classified Véronique Barbe's death as a homicide, but did not release any details.
Boy with Quebec's youth protection services
The six-year-old at the centre of the Amber Alert was transferred to youth protection services in Quebec around midnight Friday.
Dionne said the boy was in the care of child services in Ontario before being transferred back to Quebec by the Sûreté du Québec and the province's youth protection services, the Directeur de la protection de la jeunesse (DPJ).
She said the DPJ will determine what will happen to the boy next.
Fredette and the boy were found by Ontario Provincial Police late Friday afternoon. They had been missing since Thursday.
Police are now searching for 71-year-old Lachute, Que., resident Yvon Lacasse, whose SUV Fredette was driving at the time of his arrest.
Lacasse is described as bald with brown eyes. He is five feet four inches tall and weighs around 155 pounds.
With files from Matt D'Amours, Verity Stevenson, Joe Lofaro and Radio-Canada