Man extradited from U.S. to face 1974 rape charge in Prince George

Raymond Douglas MacLeod arrives at Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement escort in preparation for his departure to Canada. MacLeod will faces charges of rape, indecent assault, and assault causing bodily harm, dating back to 1974. Photo courtesy U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

A man accused of sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl with cerebral palsy in 1974 in Prince George will be in court here March 27, thanks to work by police departments in Canada and the U.S.

Raymond Douglas MacLeod was turned over to Canadian authorities in Vancouver, late Tuesday culminating a nearly two-year legal effort by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to gain his deportation.

In September 1974, MacLeod, then 32 years old, was arrested in connection with the incident, which is alleged to have taken place at a residence on Upland Street.

MacLeod was tried and found not guilty. However that verdict was appealed and a second trial was ordered. He was arrested in Burlington, Ontario in June of 1979 on unrelated charges. At that time, MacLeod was served with court documents ordering him to appear in court, but he failed to do so. A Canada-wide arrest warrant was issued in 1980, but he was never located.

Prince George RCMP contacted Interpol to acquire their assistance in locating MacLeod.

It was later determined MacLeod was alive and residing in California. Serious Crime investigators from the Prince George RCMP, in partnership with U.S. authorities, were able to confirm a man arrested in California was MacLeod. Efforts to locate MacLeod have spanned decades, involved various investigational techniques and various agencies in both Canada and the U.S.

Macleod was arrested in October 2013 by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies at a San Dimas trailer park where he had been living under an assumed name. An immigration judge ordered him deported in March 2014. Macleod subsequently appealed the judge’s decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ultimately, both panels concurred with the original ruling, paving the way for this week’s extradition back to Canada.

MacLeod, now 72 years old, is facing charges of rape, indecent assault on a female, and assault causing bodily harm, which were all offences under the Criminal Code in 1974. An additional charge of obstruction of justice has been approved by Crown counsel.