For many people living in this area, the week of September 7th to 13th was an emotional rollercoaster ride.
First, there was the profound sadness and worry for the community of Sparwood in general, and the Hebert family in particular that came with the news that three-year-old Kienan had been taken from his home in the middle of the night.
Hours later, many of us experienced overwhelming anger with or fear of Randall Hopley, the 46-year-old Sparwood man accused of abducting the child.
Four days later, there was the relief, elation, and disbelief that came with the news of Kienan’s safe return to his home.
Surely, most of us thought the ride was over, at least for now but we would soon be shown otherwise.
A mere three days later, there was further jubilation and relief as the news spread that Hopley had been found at a cabin at Graymont Western Canada near the Crowsnest Lake Bible Camp.
However, practically within moments of the initial shock and reaction to each of those events came doubt and conspiracy theories among many people as to the actions of the RCMP throughout the investigation.
There was much talk that officers had not done all they could to ensure that Hopley was captured in a timely manner, or that a deal had been made to convince him to return Kienan on September 11th.
First, I would like to say that I, personally do not see what we have to complain about when it comes to the timeline of his capture.
Cases like this often go unsolved, or if they are, often end in tragedy.
In the rare cases where the child is found unharmed, it usually comes after a much longer period than that of seven days.
The fact is, the RCMP worked quickly and tirelessly to ensure that Kienan was reunited with his family, achieving their goal in less than 96 hours.
The child is home, they got their man - all in the span of one week. That is unheard of.
Secondly, who are we to criticize or dispute the tactics which officers employed to ensure Kienan’s safe return or Hopley’s arrest?

The RCMP are trained to deal with these sorts of situations, and are far more equipped and capable of making that call than any of us will ever be.
It enrages me when people criticize the work of the brave men and women who serve and protect us, only applauding them when their work directly impacts themselves - especially when they have no idea what they’re talking about.
My irritation is not limited solely to the general public in this case, but also to my fellow members of the media.
At the RCMP press conference held the day of Hopley’s arrest, I overheard several reporters from national news agencies (I won’t name names) make snide comments about how the RCMP would not disclose information to the media or answer their questions.
What I can’t understand is how other reporters fail to recognize something that is so plainly obvious to me: they’ve said what they can.
There are several aspects of this investigation which cannot be released prior to being entered into evidence in court.
The RCMP has been nothing but vigilant in providing any and all information they could to the media, as they recognized that the media has played a major role in the success of this case.
Corporal Moskaluk of the
Sparwood RCMP spoke with reporters on countless occasions, providing them with any updates he could.
The RCMP also provided a summary of the press conference on their website, so that reporters who were unable to attend could still have all the information.
When a reporter asks a question pertaining to aspects of the investigation which officers are not at liberty to discuss for legal reasons, it is unreasonable to get upset by that.
Let them do their job so we can do ours, my fellow media.
In closing, I would like to thank each and every one of the more than 150 officers who worked on this case, not only for their hard work which paid off with the safe return of a young boy and capture of his alleged abductor, but also for keeping us in the loop at every turn.
Love, Kimberley