The following information was released this afternoon by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement:
A Canadian national that has been evading law enforcement for more than 20 years for sexually molesting a child was nabbed in Homestead, Florida Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents and officers from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Homestead Police Department.
Douglas Elmore Brenner, 65, is wanted by the Waterloo Regional Police in Canada for sexual assault on a juvenile under 14. He entered the U.S. in 1984 and assumed the identity of a deceased man in 1986.
ICE agents learned about Brenner after receiving information from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office who learned that Brenner was hiding in Florida. An investigation was immediately launched to track down Brenner. He was found in a hotel located at 841 North Krome Avenue in Homestead.
Brenner has been charged administratively for being illegally present in the county. He has been placed in administrative removal proceedings and will appear before an immigration judge. If ordered removed, Brenner will be turned over to Canadian authorities based on an outstanding arrest warrant.
Brenner is currently being held at the Krome Detention Center in Miami where he will await the outcome of his case.
“Those who think that they can evade justice by hiding in the United States are sorely mistaken,” said Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Tampa. “This recent arrest is a testament to the excellent working relationships between law enforcement here in Florida.”
Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said, “By making sure this type of criminal does not return to our streets this multi-agency effort has made Collier County a safer place to live.”
McCormick thanked the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, the Homestead Police Department and the ICE Offices of Investigations in Miami and the Miami Field Office of Detention and Removal for their assistance in this case.
