RCMP are on a manhunt for David Wesley Bobbitt who allegedly bound and confined a woman and sexually assaulted her in a Penticton store early Sunday morning.
Police have combed the area with a police service dog and several officers throughout the morning in an effort to locate the 35-year-old man, who has an outstanding warrant for his arrest for the charge of attempted murder, and is the leasee and operator of Dave's Second Hand Store at 146 Ellis St. in Penticton. The woman was found by her family with her 22-month old son nearby after they recognized her vehicle in the parking lot. RCMP said the woman was suffering from serious injuries and the child was unharmed.
"Investigators are treating the matter as a violent aggravated sexual assault and due to the fact that the victim was unknown to Bobbitt, he is considered as a threat to public safety," said Cpl. Dan Moskaluk. "We need to locate this man."
RCMP said the matter began when they received a report of a missing person on Saturday around 10:30 p.m. A 22-year-old woman and her son were reported missing by family after she failed to drop the child off prior to her attending work. Between 2:15 and 3 a.m. Sunday morning, family members contacted police advising that they had located the missing woman's vehicle parked on Ellis Street in downtown Penticton.
Moskaluk said police patrolled the area, where they discovered the rear door of a business ajar and uniformed officers entered and found the woman inside the second hand store bound and suffering from serious injuries. Both the mother and child were immediately transported to hospital. RCMP said the woman remains in hospital care receiving treatment for her injuries, which she is believed to recover from at this time.
RCMP said Bobbitt resided on the same property as the store and has yet to be located so a warrant for his arrest on possible charges of forcible confinement and sexual assault was issued.
The Penticton RCMP described Bobbitt as a white male, 35 years old, 5'7", 180 pounds, brown eyes, balding brown hair, medium build and clean shaven. Anyone who has seen Bobbitt or know of his current whereabouts are asked to immediately call 9-1-1, Penticton RCMP at 250-492-4300 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Investigators would also like to speak to anyone who may have frequented Dave's Second Hand Store on Saturday.