The father of a 7-year-old Duncan girl who was missing for three months has been arrested.
In a media release, RCMP said Jesse Bennett, who was subject of an arrest warrant for the abduction of his daughter, was arrested without incident at around 8 p.m. on May 24th, during a routine traffic stop in Shawnigan Lake.
On January 23rd, Bennett’s daughter Violet was reported missing after he failed to return her as ordered by Family Courts.
Three months after the ordeal began, North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP said someone known to Violet dropped her off at the detachment on the evening of April 20th.
Violet was then returned to the custody of her mother.
In an interview with Victoria Buzz in February, Violet’s mother, Roget Hall, told Victoria Buzz she last saw her daughter on January 3rd.
That’s when Jesse sent her a message, saying Violet wouldn’t be returned to her because she was wearing a face mask to school.
“The only option he gave me to get her back was to take her out of school to be homeschooled—something I refused to do,” Roget explained, “as Violet has resources set up at school that I believed she needed, something I was unable to provide for her.”
“So I took him to court.”
According to Roget, the January 20th court date was the last day she heard from Jesse—the same day the courts ordered him to return Violet into her custody.
A Canada wide warrant was then issued for Bennett.
Police say they will not release any further details to respect the family’s privacy.
