Suspect ordered held in Canada

VANCOUVER, B.C. – A Washington state couple who allegedly fled to Canada to avoid child rape allegations against the husband have been ordered detained pending deportation proceedings.

Jeff Spady and his wife, Kim, are in custody in Regina, Saskatchewan, after being arrested on an immigration warrant Friday, and their four children are in the care of Saskatchewan child protection workers.

An adjudicator with the Immigration and Refugee Board ordered the Spadys detained Tuesday, saying he believes they’re unlikely to show up for further proceedings and might go underground to avoid being returned to the United States.

“I think it’s fairly clear that neither of you want to return to the United States at this point as you face not only the breakup of your family but prosecution,” board member Marc Tessler said.

Jeff Spady, 40, was charged Sept. 6 with three counts of child rape connected with a female relative the day before the Spadys crossed into British Columbia from Idaho.

Warrants were issued later for Spady on the rape charges and for him and his wife for custodial interference for violating a court order barring Spady from contact with four of his children.

Authorities in Clark County, Wash., allege Spady started abusing the girl between the ages of 10 and 16.

Spady claimed he was not aware of any warrants and had taken his family to Canada for a holiday. His wife told border agents much the same thing but added it was an effort to “reunite the family” in the face of the abuse allegations.

Spady told Tessler he was aware of the rape allegations six months ago and was co-operating. He said the girl made them because she was in trouble with authorities.

The couple will have another mandatory detention hearing in seven days but may face an admissibility hearing that could lead to their deportation before that.

The couple’s children are likely to be sent back to Washington, Tessler said.