Penticton assault suspect still on the loose
Posted Aug 2, 2011 11:57 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
PENTICTON (NEWS1130) – The woman brutally beaten and sexually assaulted in a Penticton second-hand store on Saturday was found by her family.
When police arrived at the store at 3 a.m. Sunday, the door was ajar. There are reports her brother kicked that door open after finding his sister’s car in the parking lot, and hearing a noise inside the shop.
The man’s 22-year-old sister had gone to the store the night before to pick up a mattress for her 22-month-old son, who was with her during the attack. He was not harmed.
The young woman was viciously beaten and sexually assaulted, with her son in the same room. She required surgery and 60 stitches to fix life-threatening head wounds.
A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for 35-year-old David Wesley Bobbitt. He is accused of forcible confinement, sexual assault, and attempted murder. Police say he has a history of violence.
“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. We need to locate this man,” says Corporal Dan Moskaluk.
The victim has told police Bobbitt told her he was going to kill her son after she died, and then kill himself. She fought to stay awake, despite her devastating injuries.
Online rumours about Bobbitt
Mounties don’t want online speculation or rumours to get in the way of valid tips in their search for David Wesley Bobbitt. Social media sites are buzzing as police hunt for the 35-year-old who is wanted for attempted murder.
Corporal Dan Moskaluk is asking anyone with information to send it to RCMP and not to post anything to Facebook or Twitter. “This has really struck a nerve with people in respect to the brutality of this incident. We remind everybody that with [these conversations] people have to be cautious.”
There have been threads suggesting the person wanted for the violent crime has been arrested and that’s simply not true.
“People mean well and they start forwarding information via this network and the next thing you know is that that valid one could be missed.”
The woman and her 22-month-old were held in the suspect’s second hand store, her son witnessed the entire attack.
Bobbitt is white, 5’7″ tall, about 180 pounds with brown eyes and balding brown hair. He has a medium build and is clean shaven. There have been no reported sightings of him since the attack.
If you do see Bobbitt or have any information about his whereabouts you are asked to call Penticton RCMP at 250.492.4300 or Crimestoppers at 1.800.222.8477.
