Suspects in ‘horrific, violent crime’ at Oppenheimer Park found, arrested

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Two people who charged with what officers describe as a horrific sexual assault at Oppenheimer Park in April and failed to report to bail supervisors have been arrested for breaching the conditions of their release.

“This arrest was made possible by a heads up store clerk who recognized the couple from the earlier media release we put out,” says Constable Tania Visintin in a release.

 

Earlier Friday, the VPD alerted the public to their search for 30-year-old Jason Tapp and 33-year-old Nicole Edwards who were charged in May with 15 crimes including sexual assault, assault, and forcible confinement.

“The survivor of the assault was directed at gunpoint into a tent where she was held against her will, beaten, and sexually assaulted for more than 15 hours prior to her escaping,” Visintin said.

“This is a horrific and violent crime and these suspects preyed on a vulnerable person. We need the public’s help in making sure these two offenders are located.”

After their arrest, they were released with a number of conditions, one of which they breached by failing to report to bail supervisors.

Visintin couldn’t comment on why the pair was released from custody.

“Woman to woman, I can’t imagine what this survivor is going through,” she says. “As a police, I can say that we do our best and we provide the best product we can to crown. Crown does what they do and our criminal justice system does what it does,” Visintin said.

“There are several organizations in the Downtown Eastside that help vulnerable women in need and one played a pivotal role in helping this survivor come forward,” Visintin adds. “We thank them for the work they do and the help they provide.”

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