A 29-year-old man wanted in connection with a violent robbery and kidnapping at a home in Windsor has been taken into custody at the border, police say, becoming the fourth person arrested in a case that began with a robbery and kidnapping back in April. Billy Persaud-Hearns Jr. now faces a lengthy list of charges tied to the attack on a man at a Windsor home.
Arrest at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel
According to a statement from the Windsor Police Service, members of the OPP-led Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement Squad took custody of Persaud-Hearns Jr. at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel on Tuesday after he was arrested by United States Border Patrol. Separately, Metro Detroit News reported that the arrest occurred during a targeted enforcement operation on Fort Street near the border, a detail that differs from the Windsor police account naming the tunnel as the custody-transfer location.
Police say Persaud-Hearns Jr. is one of four people accused in connection with a robbery and kidnapping that happened at a home in the 2500 block of Lauzon Road on April 16. The department's account describes a man who was threatened, assaulted and robbed before the suspects tried to force him into a vehicle. He managed to escape and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, per the same police statement.
Long List of Charges
Persaud-Hearns Jr. now faces several charges stemming from that April incident, including robbery with an offensive weapon, assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon, pointing a firearm, forcible confinement and kidnapping, according to AM800 CKLW. The station's report also lists uttering death threats, theft of a motor vehicle with violence and two counts of failing to comply with a probation order among the charges he faces.
Windsor police say three other people were previously arrested in southwestern Ontario in connection with the same investigation: Alexis-Regine Gibbs Rogers, 30; Darius Jean-Marc Davis, 24; and Raul Antonio Huezo, 26. With Persaud-Hearns Jr.'s arrest, all four suspects identified by police in the April case have now been taken into custody.
A Pattern of Cross-Border Arrests
Cross-border arrests of Canadian fugitives have surfaced elsewhere in recent months. In August, ICE arrested 64-year-old Charles Peter Billone in Santa Cruz, California, a man who had allegedly been wanted since 1991 for sexually assaulting a child, according to the National Post. That case, while unrelated to the Windsor investigation, involved a Canadian fugitive found in the United States who remained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
No court disposition, bail decision or plea has been reported in the Windsor case, and it remains unclear what happens next for Persaud-Hearns Jr. following the custody transfer. Windsor police have not released additional details beyond confirming the arrest and the charges he now faces.
