Two men who abducted a teenage boy in Nova Scotia and abused him for two weeks also talked of selling him, police say in court documents.
The 16-year-old was chained and held against his will before he escaped his captors and fled to a nearby home, where a resident called police, police say.
The RCMP’s Southwest Nova Major Crimes Unit is leading the search for two suspects in relation to the incident in Upper Chelsea, N.S., and say they could now be in Ontario.
Police are searching for 47-year-old David James Leblanc and 31-year-old Wayne Alan Cunningham, who face charges of forcible confinement and sexual assault.
In a Thursday news release appealing for help from the public, the RCMP said the two men allegedly confined the boy, against his will, for between 10 and 14 days.
They said the suspects could be travelling through Ontario in two vehicles, both with Nova Scotia license plates. Members of the public were asked to look out for a grey 2003 Hyundai Elantra with the license plate FBP 233, and a brown 2002 Chevrolet Venture van with the license plate EZG 581.
Police said they have released several tips in the past 24 hours.
The charges stem from an incident Monday when a resident of Upper Chelsea in Nova Scotia’s Lunenberg County reported that a 16-year-old boy showed up at her door with chains on his wrists and ankles, wearing only a hooded sweatshirt.
The boy fled before the woman could call police, but officers were able to track him down at another nearby residence.
The teen was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Alice Arnold told CTV Atlantic the boy initially sought help at her home and startled her by frantically knocking on her back door.
“There was a young man standing on my back porch saying; ‘I have to get in. I want to come in, I want to come in,” she said.
Arnold said chains were wrapped around the teen’s wrists and ankles. He was barefoot and wore only a hat and jacket -- nothing below the waist, she said.
Arnold did not let the boy inside, but grabbed her phone and called 911.
“He said: ‘Please don’t call the police. They’ll make it worse for me,’” she said.
The teen then ran off.
Arnold said police told her the boy went to another neighbour's home after that.
According to a court document filed this week, the boy said he was abducted while sleeping on the streets of Halifax.
He woke up in the back of a van and was driven to a residence where two men held him captive and sexually assaulted him over several days.
"The 16-year-old said the two men were talking about trying to sell him. The two men left the residence, and the 16-year-old male was able to escape,” RCMP Const. Timothy Cole said in the document.
Neighbours say no one lived at the house where the boy was kept. The house was up for sale, but was subsequently taken off the market and two people moved in a couple of months ago.
RCMP are asking anyone with information on the suspects’ whereabouts to contact police, but not to approach the men directly.
“I think the nature of the charges speak for themselves,” Sgt. Alain Leblanc told CTV Atlantic. “They are serious charges.”
One of the suspects, David James Leblanc, was set to appear in court in November on charges of sexual assault, as well as making, possessing and distributing child pornography. Those charges stemmed from a previous arrest.
With files from The Canadian Press
