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Ashton Natomagan suspect in violent sexual assault

A high risk sex offender who now has two Canada-wide warrants out for his arrest is a suspect in a violent sexual assault that happened just north of downtown earlier this month.

Ashton Natomagan,33, is wanted on eight charges including assault with a weapon, robbery, sexual assault with threats to cause bodily harm and kidnapping.

On April 11, police say a 37-year old woman was jogging west on 116th avenue and 102nd Street when she was sexually assaulted and robbed. At the time, police said the woman was dragged down an alley, tied up with green painter's tape and that the suspect was carrying a box cutter.

EPS spokesperson Patrycia Thenu said the woman's description of the event led police to issue a warrant for Natomagan's arrest.

"Investigators believe that with the victim coming forward with the information right away and giving very good description of the suspect that definitely did help in this investigation."

The April 11 assault was the third violent sexual assault reported to police on the city's northside since March.

Thenu said police are not ruling out the possibility that Natomagan may be responsible for those attacks as well.

"At this point the detectives aren't ruling out any possibilities so they are examining all three files to see if there are any similarities."

All three attacks, including the one Natomagan is wanted in connection with, are similar -- all of the women were grabbed from behind by a male suspect and the attacks happened within a ten block radius.

Two Canada-wide warrants

The Canada-wide warrant issued Friday is Natomagan's second.

The first was issued after he failed to return to his Edmonton halfway house on March 3. Days earlier he had been released from the Grande Cache Institution after serving a five-year sentence for sexual assault causing bodily harm.

At the time, police described Natomagan as dangerous and said he should not be approached.

Parole documents obtained by CBC show that Natomagan has a history of sexually and physically assaulting children. In 2002, Natomagan brutally attacked a 10-year old girl while while she was asleep, choking and raping her. Six years later, while "coming off of cocaine and alcohol" he physically and sexually assaulted a 16 -year old girl, randomly on the street.

When released from jail in early March he was put under a long term supervision order, lasting eight years.