An American man arrested in Manitoba and charged with kidnapping his own son will undergo a detention review Tuesday as he awaits word on whether he’ll be deported back to Colorado. Meanwhile, questions are being asked about how the man and his son managed to cross into Canada in the first place.
Monty Ray Turner, 51, is currently being held by the Canada Border Services Agency after being taken into custody at the Casablanca Motor Inn in Brandon, Manitoba on Sunday.
He was arrested about 24 hours after allegedly breaking into his estranged wife's home in Longmont, Colorado and assaulting her with pepper spray and a stun gun before kidnapping their three-year-old son.
Brandon officers were able to find Turner after he used his own credit card to check into the motel, tipping off U.S. authorities to his whereabouts.
His son was unharmed and has been turned over to Child and Family Services in Brandon until he can be reunited with his mother, Brandy, back in Colorado.
Now, Canada Border Services Agency is reviewing how Turner entered Canada with the boy -- especially since Colorado authorities issued an Amber Alert after the boy disappeared with his father.
The CBSA says it is investigating whether the two crossed at a legal border checkpoint.
"Our responsibility is for a designated land border crossings or points of entry. The RCMP is responsible for all points between these official or designated border crossings," CBSA spokesperson Lisa White told CTV Winnipeg.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection says it’s not unusual for kidnapped children to be brought across the border, even at designated crossings.
"The reality is these things do happen all the time because we don't have any mandated protocol for crossing the border,” the centre’s director, Christy Dzikowicz, said.
Monty Turner, who had a court order prohibiting him from contacting either his estranged wife or son, is facing eight charges in Colorado, including kidnapping and assault. He is also wanted for failing to comply with a $50,000 bond related to previous charges.
He is due to appear before the Immigration and Refugee Board in Winnipeg Tuesday afternoon for a detention review.
Meanwhile, the boy’s mother, Brandy, who doesn't have a passport and can't travel to Canada, says she’s relieved her son is safe.
“I’m just so thankful he’s safe, that he’s OK,” she told reporters in Longmont, Colo. on Monday. "I don't know that I'll ever feel safe again, but at least I know that it will be a long time before I have to deal with something like I dealt with yesterday."
With reports from CTV Winnipeg’s Ben Miljure
