West District RCMP have charged a 21-year-old man from Pennfield in connection with an assault with a weapon and the theft of two vehicles from Utopia and Pennfield.
On July 25, 2018, shortly after 7 p.m., the St. George RCMP received a report of a pickup truck being stolen from the Pennfield area. Patrols were made, however the stolen vehicle was not located at that time.
On July 26, 2018, shortly before 10:30 a.m., police responded to a call of a theft of a vehicle from a convenience store on Highway 785 in Utopia. The owner of the vehicle followed the suspect in a vehicle with another person. The suspect lost control of the vehicle he was driving and went off the road. When the vehicle owner and the other person approached, the suspect made threats and brandished a knife and fled into a wooded area. No one was injured.
Later that same day at around 3:30 p.m., a 21-year-old man from Pennfield, N.B., was arrested in a wooded area off of Highway 785 in Utopia. Both stolen vehicles were recovered.
On July 27, 2018, Jude Morton appeared in Saint John Provincial Court and was charged with uttering threats, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, assault with a weapon and two counts of motor vehicle theft. He was remanded into custody for a five-day psychiatric evaluation. Morton is scheduled to appear in Saint John Provincial Court on August 2, 2018.
RCMP Police Dog Services and the Emergency Response Team were brought in to assist with locating the suspect. Assistance was also provided by Conservation Officers from the Department of Justice and Public Safety.