Harold Smeltzer Child Rapist/Murderer Regina, Canada
Regina police warn public about Calgary child killer Last Updated: Thursday, November 27, 2008 | 2:01 PM CT Comments 48 Recommend 18 CBC News The Regina police service has been cleared to issue a public warning about paroled murderer and sex offender Harold David Smeltzer. Smeltzer, 52, is serving a life sentence for the 1980 kidnapping and murder of a five-year-old girl in Calgary. He was granted day parole after a hearing earlier this fall and is scheduled to live in a halfway house in Regina. The parole board noted Smeltzer, who had most recently been serving his sentence at Prince Albert's Riverbend Institution, has participated in sex offender treatment programs. After a quarter-century behind bars, he's been classified in parole board documents as a low risk to reoffend. But Regina police are warning that Smeltzer, in their opinion, does pose a risk to the community. They've released a recent photograph and description. They're telling people Smeltzer has been convicted of sex offences and other violent offences against females. His victims have ranged from early childhood to adult age. Such public alerts are a relative rarity in Regina. When police learned Smeltzer was on his way to Regina, they asked the provincial public disclosure committee for permission to issue a public safety alert. The committee gave its approval, although details of its decision haven't been released. In their alert, the police said people should be aware of Smeltzer's presence — but that no one should seek him out for any type of vigilantism. "People can use information to make their own decisions about their safety," Regina police spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich said. "If people do not want to have contact with this individual then they can simply avoid him now knowing what he looks like and what his description is." He's expected to arrive in the city sometime over the next few weeks, Popowich said. Under the terms of his parole, Smeltzer is banned from any contact with a minor unless it's in the presence of an adult familiar with his criminal history and with the permission of his parole officer. He's to reside in a halfway house in the city's core district. Under day parole, he has to return to the house every evening. People who see Smeltzer in violation of his conditions should contact the local police, the alert said. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2008/11/27/smeltzer-warning.html?ref=rss