A man accused of abducting and sexually assaulting a seven-year-old Edmonton girl has now been charged with abducting a second girl.
Police charged Danial Todd Gratton Tuesday with more counts of sexual assault, sexual interference, uttering death threats, kidnapping and abduction.
Investigators say two 10-year-old girls were approached by a man on Oct. 3 near 137 Avenue and 48 Street and he allegedly offered to take them for ice cream at a nearby restaurant.
One of the girls allegedly got in his truck, while the other went to ask her parents for permission, police say.
While the girl was gone, the suspect drove off, taking the girl a short distance away before allegedly sexually assaulting her.
Investigators say he then returned to the location where he approached the girls and dropped the victim off. He then allegedly threatened to harm her if she told anyone, police say.
The 44-year-old is already charged with abducting a seven-year-old girl last Sunday. In connection with that incident, he's charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, kidnapping, abduction of a person under 14, and administering a noxious substance.
None of these allegations have been proven in court.
The accused, who was free at the time of the abduction on the condition that he be supervised, is currently in custody awaiting a bail hearing.
Gratton was arrested without incident inside a north Edmonton home early Monday morning, police say.
A dark blue Jeep Liberty matching the description of the suspect's vehicle is also in police custody.
A troubling past
Meanwhile, CTV News has learned Gratton has a long history of sexual assaults against children.
Court documents reveal Gratton is a serial pedophile who was declared a long-term offender in 2002.
He sent to prison after being sentenced to six-year sentence for molesting six children. Court documents reveal one of his victims was sexually assaulted 70 times in a six-month period.
Gratton was later released early in 2005 after being granted full parole to a secure custody treatment facility where he received help for his sexual tendencies.
In July 2006, the parole board released him into the community when he showed positive progress -- two years before his six-year sentence expired.
In March 2008, his 10 years of supervision began. Corrections Canada was in charge of his conditions which included no contact with children.
Bernard Pitre, regional director for the National Parole Board, said there was no reason to deny Gratton parole at the time because all reports submitted to the board were positive.
Gratton's parole period ended in March 2008.
"The risk was manageable in the sense that the offender did not re-offend while he was under treatment and while he was on full parole," he said. "It would be a successful parole and indeed it was."
No warning issued
Neighbours living in the north Edmonton community where the man was arrested say they are furious they were not notified of the man's past.
"It's sickening, really it is," Maurice Dupuis said. "Just to have nobody tell you there's somebody like this in the neighbourhood, it's scary."
"You know they're out there but when they're that close to home it just makes me sick to my stomach to know he was that close," Diane Bowen said.
A police spokesperson tells CTV News they were never notified of Gratton's release and they were not ordered to issue a warning to the community.
Edmonton Catholic School Board spokeswoman Lori Nagy said they were also left out in the dark about the man's past and his proximity to local schools.
"We'll be very interested in hearing from Corrections Canada and the criteria they used in not releasing this man's name," she said.
Edmonton criminologist Bill Pitt said the current charges reflect a failure of the justice system, adding there is a reluctance for judges to sentence people to dangerous offender status.
Such a status would keep convicted criminals behind bars for an indeterminent amount of time.
"This man should never, ever, have been free," Pitt said.
Last weekend's victim recovers
Meanwhile, the family of the girl abducted Sunday said she is doing well despite going through the traumatizing ordeal.
Officers said the girl was kidnapped near her family's home at around 11 a.m. Sunday.
CTV Edmonton's Scott Roberts reported that the suspect was driving a blue SUV and asked the girl, who was playing with her brothers, to come to his vehicle to look at some kittens.
After the young girl stepped inside the vehicle and the man drove off, the girl's brothers alerted their parents.
Police quickly issued an Amber Alert and the girl was found around three hours later at a service station in Wildwood, Alta, about 100 kilometres west of Edmonton.
Investigators learned the suspect was forced to abandon her at a restaurant a few hours later after a gas station employee became suspicious.
Witnesses tell CTV News the girl was dropped off holding $10 and a note saying she needed to be brought back to Edmonton and given something to eat and drink.
