Their mother and her common-law partner, Benjamin Martin Moore, a convicted sex offender, were arrested in South Dakota on Tuesday at about 11:30 p.m. MT, according to Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin. Saskatchewan RCMP confirmed Friday that both remain in custody. On Tuesday night, police in Saskatchewan expanded their search for the girl, 7, and her brother, 8, to South Dakota after evidence suggested the group had moved to the US state. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says the group illegally crossed the border into Montana by driving through a chain-link fence near the Turner Port of Entry. The agency did not provide details about the time or date of the border crossing in a press release. Havre Sector CBP agents patrolling the international border spotted a cut fence and notified the RCMP, according to Thursday’s release. “The Havre Sector utilized a Border Patrol agent assigned to the Homeland Security Investigations Task Force to assist in locating the man,” CBP said. “Moore was arrested through the assistance and cooperation of multiple agencies and is currently in custody pending prosecution.”
The campers were alarmed to see children in the concentration camp
Officers found the group at Glencoe Camp Resort in Sturgis, S.D., more than 930 kilometers from their home in Eastend, Sask., according to RCMP. Merwin said police were fortunate to track down the fugitives because hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts participate in the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally, many of whom stay at area campgrounds. “We all started checking the locations where people were staying and checking the campsites and luckily we found one of the campsites where they were staying,” he said.
Sask is missing. children found safe, man arrested
Two Saskatchewan children who were the subject of an Amber Alert have been found safe in South Dakota. The man and woman the children were found with were arrested, police said. Campers say Moore, 50, had identified himself as security at the resort. “The guy was wearing a security shirt that all the other people working security at the campground were wearing — the exact same attire,” William Dukes of Scottsdale, Ariz., told the CBC. The resort posted on social media that its security team had helped locate and arrest Moore, but did not respond to CBC’s request for comment. Brian Lester says he and his wife were surprised to see kids Sunday because they thought it was an adults-only camp. “I was kind of horrified,” Lester told The Canadian Press from Sioux Falls, S.D. “I was shocked that a parent thought it was OK to bring a child to the rally, especially at this campground,” which is associated with the motorcycle rally. Dukes told CP that the rally in Sturgis draws bikers from all over the United States and Canada for 10 days of partying and riding motorcycles. RCMP Chief Supt. Tyler Bates talks to reporters. (Adam Hunter/CBC) The group didn’t have a tent and slept in their car, according to Lester. He reported their presence to the campsite authorities and was told there were no age restrictions. Lester said he also raised the issue with a camp guard later Sunday. Then a man, whom Lester said he later identified as Moore, came and told him he was with the children. “He says, “We’re down in Canada. I work safety the week of the rally,” Lester told CP. The children didn’t seem upset, Lester said, and he saw no abuse. Lester said he and his wife learned of the Amber Alert Wednesday morning and their hearts sank when they recognized the children and Moore. They immediately called the authorities and told them the children had been found. “We were relieved, but we still had a pit in our stomach that we didn’t follow our gut more — we didn’t follow our gut,” he said.
The arrest
Dukes was arriving at the camp when he saw that the police were not letting anyone in or out. He had learned about the Amber Alert while eating, but says he had no idea what was going on until he got back to camp. “We actually saw the mother being pulled out of the back of the sheriff’s vehicle first,” Dukes told the CBC. “She was wearing handcuffs. And then they were actually putting more shackles and chains on her.” He said officers then pulled Moore from another sheriff’s vehicle and handcuffed and cuffed him, but he says he never saw the children. “It was pretty crazy to see something like that,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” Merwin said earlier this week that the fugitives attempted to flee in their truck, but were stopped and apprehended without incident.
Moore, mother still in custody
RCMP said Moore was being investigated by social services when he fled with the children and their mother before police could question him. Officers went to their home in Eastend, Sask., about 315 kilometers southwest of Regina, but found it abandoned. That’s when Saskatchewan RCMP issued a warrant for Moore’s arrest, accusing him of failing to report information to a registration center within a week of changing residence, as required by the Sex Offender Information Registration Act. Later that day, the Amber Alert was extended to South Dakota. RCMP say they are working with U.S. authorities to coordinate Moore’s return to Canada, but no date has been confirmed. No additional charges have been filed, but the investigation is ongoing, Mounties said. The mother has not been charged in Canada, the RCMP added.
