Violent offender accused of stabbing Abbotsford business owner

A repeat violent offender out on statutory release after serving time in prison for a 2019 stabbing in Maple Ridge, is now accused of stabbing an Abbotsford business owner during an alleged theft attempt on Saturday.

Shortly after 9:40 a.m. on Aug. 9, Abbotsford police said patrol officers were called to a stabbing at Ellwood Laundromat on Maclure near Townline Roads.

The business owner was found with life-threatening injuries “following an altercation with an unknown individual attempting to steal from the premises” and was taken to a trauma hospital in the Vancouver area, said police in a news release.

The laundromat owner is now in stable condition after undergoing surgery, according to police.

The suspect, who police said was “currently out on statutory release from a previous violent offence,” ran off but was tracked to the backyard of a nearby home and arrested within minutes.

Timothy Richard Louis Rowley, 40, is charged with assault with a weapon and aggravated assault.

Prior to his arrest this weekend, Rowley had been wanted since July 31 for being unlawfully at large in his parole jurisdiction of New Westminster.

Rowley’s criminal history in B.C. dates back to 2004, when he was convicted of assault causing bodily harm in Abbotsford and sentenced to time already served, plus 14 days in jail, followed by 18 months probation.

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In Oct. 2018, Rowley received 72 days in jail and nine months probation for the fatal beating of a Canada goose in Vancouver’s Stanley Park.

He pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal in the Aug. 6, 2018 incident, which was captured on video by witnesses.

In Sept. 2020, Rowley was sentenced to five years, 11 months, and 20 days in prison after he pleaded guilty to break and enter and aggravated assault in relation to a May 26, 2019 stabbing in Maple Ridge.

Rowley was also sentenced to one year in jail after pleading guilty to assault with a weapon for a separate incident in Maple Ridge on the same day in 2019.

Rowley appeared before a Justice of the Peace on Sunday morning in relation to the laundromat stabbing and will remain in police custody ahead of an Aug. 14 court appearance in Abbotsford.

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