Sarnia Police Service officials allege: A man wanted in connection with a stabbing at Centennial Park has been arrested, Sarnia police say.
Police say the 45-year-old suspect was arrested by the Ontario Provincial Police in Strathroy, Ont., on the evening of July 23. He was transferred into the custody of the Sarnia Police Service and has been held for a bail hearing.
The Sarnia Police Service thanked the public for their assistance in locating the man.
The arrest comes three days after the stabbing was reported at the Sarnia park. Police say officers were dispatched to Centennial Park on July 20 at 4:37 p.m. following a report of a stabbing, and located a female victim near the end of George Street with a wound to the back of her upper arm.
According to police, the victim had approached a man who appeared distressed and offered him use of a bench, and the two exchanged words. Police say the man became agitated, walked behind the victim and stabbed her in the back of the upper arm with an edged weapon before fleeing the area.
Patrol officers and the canine unit attended the scene but were unable to locate the suspect at the time, police say. The victim was treated for a non-life-threatening injury.
Police had described the suspect as a white male between 40 and 50 years old, approximately 5-foot-11, wearing long shorts, a dark shirt and a black baseball cap. He was last seen fleeing the gazebo area of the park northbound toward the train tracks.
On July 21, police asked the public for help identifying the suspect. In a subsequent update, the Sarnia Police Service thanked the public and local businesses near Centennial Park for providing video and photos taken around the time of the incident, which helped investigators identify him.
He had been wanted on charges of assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and failure to comply with a release order.
