On Dec. 6, 2018, the Eastern Alberta District Rural Crime Reduction Unit (EADRCRU) were deployed to St. Paul County to assist the Elk Point RCMP with investigating multiple break and enters that had been plaguing rural residents, particularly in the Laurier Lake area. Several tips were received from the public that assisted in the identification of vehicles used to commit the break and enters.
Later that evening, one of the suspect vehicles was involved in a break and enter in the Cold Lake area and then fled the scene while Cold Lake RCMP were investigating. The EADRCRU and Cold Lake Police Dog Services (PDS) located the suspect vehicle in Fishing Lake and were able to disable the suspect vehicle with spike belts. Five occupants fled on foot from the vehicle into the woods.
A 19-year-old female, who was in possession of a firearm and a 17-year-old female, both from Frog Lake, were arrested with the assistance of PDS.
The search for the remaining three occupants continued into the night, as members from the Cold Lake RCMP, "K" Division Special Tactical Operations (STO), and RCMP Integrated Traffic Unit (ITU) arrived in the area to assist. Two 17-year-old males from Fishing Lake were later located and arrested. The final outstanding male was located on the morning of Dec. 7, 2018 with the assistance of RCMP Air Services. The 17-year-old male from Elizabeth Metis Settlement was arrested and then transported to hospital by EMS due to exposure to cold temperatures. He was later released back into police custody.
"Coordination between the various RCMP Detachments and units was critical in the safe resolution of this incident," says Constable Guillaume Wilson (EADRCRU). "Had it not been for the ability of the RCMP helicopter to locate the final male suspect from the air things could have been a lot worse."
RCMP members continued collecting evidence and recovering stolen property following the apprehension of all suspects and found multiple stolen firearms that had been discarded by the fleeing suspects. A car and truck stolen from Kitscoty, an off-highway-vehicle stolen from Cold Lake and another truck stolen from Dewberry were also recovered by RCMP during this incident.
Two male youths from Fishing Lake, a male youth from Elizabeth Metis Settlement, and a female youth from Frog Lake, all 17 years of age, were charged with 82 offences which include:
- Flight from police
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000
- Possession of a firearm obtained by the commission of an offence
- Resisting a peace officer
- Dangerous driving
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm
- Possession of a firearm when knowing its possession was unauthorized
- Breaking and entering
- Theft over $5,000
- Theft under $5,000
- Mischief under $5,000
All the youths were also charged with breaching various conditions. Three had warrants pending at the time of their arrest stemming from incidents in Elk Point, Vegreville, and Edmonton. The youths remain in custody and are scheduled to appear in St. Paul Provincial Court on Dec. 13, 2018. Their names cannot be released due to the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
A 19-year-old female of Frog Lake was also charged with multiple offences, including:
- Flight from police
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 (x3)
- Possession of a firearm obtained by the commission of an offence (x4)
- Resisting a peace officer
- Dangerous driving
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm (x4)
- Possession of a firearm when knowing its possession was unauthorized (x4)
- Failing to comply with conditions (x3)
- Theft of motor vehicle (x2)
- Theft under $5,000
- Mischief under $5,000
- Breaking and entering (x2)
She was also arrested for an outstanding warrant from Elk Point for multiple offences, including:
- Failing to comply with a DNA order
- Flight from police
- Resisting a peace officer
- Mischief over $5,000
She was remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear in St. Paul Provincial Court on Dec. 13, 2018.
During the intensive search, RCMP members also located two additional males, a 16-year-old from Onion Lake and a 15-year-old from Kehewin, who were unrelated to the break and enters, but were in possession of a firearm and wanted on outstanding warrants. They were arrested without incident.
A 16-year-old male youth from Onion Lake was charged with the following:
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
- Possession of a prohibited firearm
- Possession of a prohibited firearm when knowing its possession was unauthorized
He was also arrested for his outstanding warrant from Elk Point for the following offences:
- Flight from police
- Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000
A 15-year-old male youth from Kehewin was charged with several offences, including:
- Possession of a firearm without holding a licence
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
- Possession of a firearm knowing it its possession is unauthorized
- Multiple counts of failing to comply with conditions
He was also arrested for an outstanding warrant from Elk Point for the following offences:
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000
- Flight from police
- Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
- Failing to comply with conditions
Both youths were released after a judicial hearing and are scheduled to appear in St. Paul Provincial Court on Dec. 20, 2018. Their names cannot be released due to the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The multitude of break and enters in the Laurier Lake and surrounding area are still being investigated and RCMP anticipate more charges will be laid.
Elk Point RCMP are asking the public's assistance with the ongoing investigation. If you observed a black Ford F-350 with red fender flares or a black Dodge Ram with a distinct loud exhaust in Laurier Lake or surrounding areas, please contact Elk Point RCMP at 780-724-3964 or your local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the "P3 Tips" app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store."