A suspect has been arrested for a June 26 early morning sexual assault near the Galloping Goose trail.
A woman in her early 20s was walking alone along Jacklin Road about 2 a.m., going home from a social event, when she was grabbed by a man and dragged along the nearby trail for about 100 metres. The man forced her over a bridge that crosses the trail and into a wooded area, where the assault took place.
“Despite this terrifying ordeal, the woman fought off her attacker and sought help from a passing motorist on Jacklin Road,” said West Shore RCMP Cpl. Kathy Rochlitz.
Officers flooded the area and a police dog was used, but no one was found.
The suspect was arrested Thursday, with West Shore RCMP travelling to the Lower Mainland and teaming up with Surrey RCMP to bring in 20-year-old Surrey resident Bradley Michael Muscat. Police were acting on information received a few days earlier.
Muscat, who is known to police, was arrested without incident on King George Boulevard, a major thoroughfare. He is facing charges of sexual assault with a weapon, robbery and forcible confinement.
Rochlitz said the West Shore RCMP has made the case their priority over the past few months.
“A great deal of complex investigative work was done on this case by our local officers and support staff, RCMP resources in the Lower Mainland and RCMP forensic experts,” Rochlitz said. “We are hopeful that the news of this arrest will bring a sense of comfort to the community, the victim, her family and all those who were impacted by this crime.”
She said she couldn’t comment on how DNA evidence might have factored into the investigation.
Dave LeQuesne of Westshore Towing, whose employee was the person flagged down after the assault, said he was relieved to hear about the arrest. The worker called him after stopping for the woman and LeQuesne called 911 before heading to the scene to wait for the police.
“I think it’s excellent police work. Obviously they had some leads or the public came out with something.”
Rochlitz stressed that the June assault along with a stabbing Tuesday in the same general part of the Galloping Goose does not mean the trail is dangerous place. Two people have been arrested in connection with the stabbing which sent a 31-year-old man to hospital, and one more is being sought.
“As much as that stabbing was a very shocking situation in our community, the Galloping Goose trail is a very safe transportation network through the CRD, and both of these incidents were isolated and unassociated,” Rochlitz said.
The RCMP and Capital Regional District staff co-operate to enhance the trail’s safety, she said.
“We work alongside the Capital Regional District in joint efforts and joint patrols.”
Even so, at the time of the June attack police warned trail users to be aware of their surroundings and travel in pairs or groups.
Rochlitz said sexual assault does not happen often within the West Shore RCMP’s jurisdiction, and when it does it is “very traumatic.”
“As with any place in our community, there are times where we have sporadic crimes, violent or otherwise,” she said. “And it’s our job to investigate them case-by-case and look at them and catch the perpetrators, which we’ve done in both of these situations.”
