Woman assaulted in a Tim Hortons | Sexual predator returns to prison

A sexual predator returns to prison after repeatedly breaking his release conditions. In addition to repeatedly calling a former victim, Edwin Alexander Santamaria was caught photographing the car of an employee of his halfway house and writing down the addresses of strangers.


“The Board is of the opinion that you are on the wrong track, putting the safety of the public at risk,” concludes the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) in a decision issued this week. For the second time in six months, the 42-year-old man has been criminally charged with breaking his long-term surveillance conditions. It is subject to such surveillance until 2029.

Edwin Alexander Santamaria inherited a long-term offender tag in January 2022 for sexually assaulting a complete stranger at a Tim Hortons restaurant. The predator had hidden in the women’s bathroom to prey on his victim. As the woman screamed, the attacker tried to stifle her screams.

The victim was saved by the arrival of another woman in the toilets, pushing the assailant to flee. During his arrest, Edwin Alexander Santamaria attempted to seize a police officer’s service weapon. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but was released the same day given the time he had served in pre-trial detention. He then joined a community correctional center.

Edwin Alexander Santamaria has a long history of violent crime and domestic abuse. He presents a “high” risk of recidivism and “hostility towards women”, according to a psychiatrist. In the past, he has been accused of sexually assaulting two women, one of them at knifepoint. However, the charges fell through when the victims refused to testify.

In the fall of 2022, his long-term supervision order was suspended for the first time when he contacted a victim 16 times by telephone. He had also photographed the victim’s vehicle. The Commission then referred to “elements of predation”.

Released again in December 2022 pending trial, Edwin Alexander Santamaria multiplied the breaches of conditions in the winter of 2023 while he was under house arrest in a halfway house. His explanations to justify his breakage are described as “crazy” by the Commission.

He first failed to declare a new romantic relationship, then got caught with an altered urine test. Then, authorities discovered that he had taken and deleted photos of addresses of strangers. According to his explanations, he would have taken the photos as part of his work as a parcel deliveryman.

“In your photos, it was found that you had photographed the car of a member of staff, which is by no means authorized”, reports the Commission.

There was also questionable bank transfers and possible secret cell phones.

“The Commission has taken into consideration that your criminal record includes offenses of a sexual nature and violence, in particular. You have caused several victims in various contexts, including in a marital context, towards people in a position of authority among others, ”analyzes the PBC.

The investigation into the release of Edwin Alexander Santamaria is scheduled in the coming days at the Montreal courthouse.


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