The Alberta man who police allege kidnapped a woman from Peachland he’d met through a online dating site will be back in court later this month to see if he can get bail.
Jean Francois Dufour, 36, has been charged forcible confinement without lawful authority, sexual assault, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and kidnapping.
The woman he allegedly kidnapped alerted West Kelowna RCMP to Dufour’s actions Aug. 13,. at 8:39 a.m.
“Police have learned that the victim met the suspect online through a dating website before meeting in person with the suspect a few times prior to this incident,” said Const. Jesse O’Donaghey, in a press release in the days that followed.
“During their most recent meeting with one another on Aug. 12, the suspect allegedly confined the woman to a vehicle and drove her around the area for several hours before eventually releasing her.”
The victim, an adult woman, sustained non-life threatening injuries as a result of the incident.
“The ongoing police investigation followed several leads as investigators worked tirelessly to positively identify, locate and arrest their suspect,” said O’Donaghey.
“On Aug. 18 at 10:28 a.m., with the assistance of Southeast District RCMP Air Services’ fixed wing aircraft, the man was arrested without incident when police located him in his vehicle in Peachland.”
Investigators indicate that the man was driving a silver 2000 Dodge Durango bearing Alberta licence plates and alleged to have travelled in the Peachland, West Kelowna, Kelowna and Lake Country areas over the course of several hours during the alleged incident, he said.
O’Donaghey said, that while this isn’t something he’s encountered before, the incident serves as a reminder of the risks of meeting up with strangers.
“Do your research on the person you are in touch with,” he said. “Do background checks, and if you’re going to meet in-person bring a friend or do your best to tell your friends where you are going and when you will be back.”
