RCMP in Nova Scotia are asking for the public’s help in tracking down two men after a teenager was allegedly held against his will and sexually assaulted in Upper Chelsea.
Police received a call around 7:15 p.m. Monday from an area resident who said a 16-year-old boy needed help.
Investigators responded to the residence on Faulkner Road and the boy was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
There are only a few homes on Faulkner Road and it’s usually quiet, but Alice Arnold says she was alerted by a rapid knocking on her door Monday night.
“There was a young man standing on my back porch, saying ‘I have to get in, I wanna come in, I wanna come in,” says Arnold.
Arnold didn’t let the boy in, but she did call 911.
“He said ‘please don’t call the police. They’ll make it worse for me,’’ she explains. “Then he disappeared. That whole encounter might have been 30 seconds, maybe a minute.”
Arnold says police told her the boy went to another neighbour’s home after that.
“He seemed like he was terrified actually. And that seemed quite real.”
She says the boy was wearing only a hat and a jacket when he showed up at her home. He had no pants on, nor shoes, and was wrapped in chains.
“He had nothing else on and there were chains wrapped around his wrists and wrapped around his ankles,” she says.
Neighbours say a man named Mark Kenney owns the home, but he hasn’t lived there for awhile.
The house was up for sale, but then it was taken off the market and two people moved in a few months ago.
“They was out around the yard,” says neighbour Adam Joudrey. “They was out around the yard a little bit but I never knew too much about them.”
Police have charged 47-year-old David James LeBlanc and 31-year-old Wayne Alan Cunningham with forcible confinement and sexual assault in connection with the case.
Investigators admit they waited more than 40 hours from when the incident was reported to when they alerted the public.
“It’s a complex, serious investigation and you know, our role is to release information that is accurate and factual,” says RCMP Sgt. Alain LeBlanc.
Police say David James LeBlanc has a history of sex charges. He is supposed to appear in court in November for a preliminary hearing on allegations of sexual assault and making, possessing and distributing child pornography.
Police say the teen involved in the latest case is now safe, but the suspects are still on the loose.
“I think the nature of the charges speak for themselves,” says Sgt. Alain LeBlanc. “They are serious charges.”
Police believe the men may be in the Lunenburg or Halifax area and say they should not be approached if spotted.
Investigators are asking anyone with information on their whereabouts to contact them.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell
