A A

YARMOUTH, N.S. – Five people stand accused of causing serious injuries to a 17-year-old Yarmouth girl after the RCMP say the teenager was held captive and repeatedly beaten at different locations throughout Yarmouth on Friday, Jan. 4, and there could be more charges laid, depending on where the investigation leads police.

The RCMP say the alleged incident only ended when the girl was able to escape from a vehicle she was being held in by her captors and sought refuge and help at the Your Winners World convenience store where staff called 911 after the girl entered the store, screaming and bleeding from injuries to her face and hands.

Thr RCMP say this was not a random attack and that the girl was targeted.

This is the convenience store in Yarmouth where a 17-year-old teenager was able to escape from a vehicle when it stopped at a nearby stop sign and get help from store staff after being alleged beaten by numerous individuals at various locations in Yarmouth on Jan. 4. CARLA ALLEN PHOTO

Two of the accused – who were still being held in custody by the police after their arrests – appeared in provincial court in Yarmouth on Jan. 7. The two 19-year-olds – Jadelyn Kristi-Ann Rhyno, also known as Trey Rhyno, of Yarmouth; and Danesha Russell, of Yarmouth – were remanded into custody by consent and will be back in provincial court in Yarmouth on Jan. 10 for show cause/bail hearings.

The pair were arrested Jan. 7 in Ste. Anne du Ruisseau and are both charged with aggravated assault; assault with a weapon; unlawful confinement; conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and uttering threats to cause bodily harm.

Court documents list the threats as even more serious, saying the accused both threatened to cause death to the victim. The weapon referred to in the charged is listed in the court documents as a metal bar.

On the night of the incident, a 19-year-old woman was arrested in Salmon River. She was later released that evening by police. She is scheduled to appear in Yarmouth provincial Court on Feb. 19 and is facing charges of aggravated assault; assault with a weapon; unlawful confinement and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. Her name was not yet released by the RCMP as the charges had not yet been filed with the court at the time of a Jan. 8 media release updating this case. (We will update with the name of the accused when the charges have been filed.)

Likewise, for a 64-year-old woman from Yarmouth who was arrested at a home on Green Street. She was released from police custody and is scheduled to attend Yarmouth provincial court on Feb. 19. She is facing one count of assault with a weapon. Because the charge has not yet been filed with the court, her name was not yet released.

On Jan. 5, the RCMP say a 17-year-old girl from Yarmouth turned herself into the detachment. She was arrested, charged and later released. She is scheduled to return to Yarmouth Youth Court on Feb. 26 and has been charged with aggravated assault; assault with a weapon; unlawful confinement; conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and uttering threats to cause bodily harm.

Because she is a youth her name cannot be published.

Due to the age of the victim, she is not being named either.

The RCMP have released disturbing details of the incident that they say they have pieced together through statements and other parts of their investigation. The police say the victim was picked up in a blue Hyundai Tucson, with the Nova Scotia licence plate GGA 153, on Cliff Street on Jan. 4 by one female on a pretense that did not cause the teenager to worry that anything was unsafe. But unknown to the victim, the RCMP say, three people were in the backseat and started hitting her and punching her in the head.

The vehicle was driven to Leighton Street in Hebron where the victim was further assaulted. The RCMP say she was dragged out of the vehicle, thrown to the ground and kicked and punched in the head. She was also taken to a residence on Baker Street, to the Superstore/NSLC on Starrs Road (an NSLC spokesperson says they did not enter the store) and another location on Green Street. The alleged assaults continued at the different locations, the police say. At Green Street, someone tried to get their dog to attack the girl.

“The suspects then poured water all over her face and down her throat. She was dragged to the car by her hair,” a Jan. 7 media release reads.

With five people in the vehicle with her, the girl was able to flee when the SUV stopped at the convenience store on Highway 3, which is also known locally as the airport stretch. Staff at the store called 911 for assistance. Police and paramedics attended the scene and the victim was transported to hospital via EHS.

The RCMP say their investigation into this matter is still very active.

“If we get information that leads us to lay other charges than that’s what we’ll do,” said RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Clarke on Jan. 8.

Asked why some of the accused have been held in custody and others released, given the gravity of the allegations and the apparent brutality of the incident, Clarke says a determination on who stays in custody is a decision that is made by the police officers who know the circumstances of the incident. At times, the RCMP also consult with the Crown on whether to hold a person in custody.

“Each person, of course, has their own set of circumstances,” she said. “We do the best we can with what information we have at the time. And those are the decisions that they made based on what they knew.”

Those not held in custody were released on conditions, which would include having no contact with the victim.

The RCMP are seeking the public’s help in their investigation and are asking anyone with information about this incident, or who would have seen the vehicle on the day of the incident, to contact them at 902-742-9106. Should people wish to remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips App.