Red Deer RCMP make arrests in crime hot spots

shaelynbaxter

Published

6 years ago

10 minute read

Red Deer, Alberta – Red Deer RCMP recent arrests include a number of successes while patrolling targeted crime hot spots, and a continued focus on locating suspects wanted on warrants and conducting compliance checks on individuals known to have court imposed conditions such as curfews; these strategies are key to Red Deer’s Pinpoint crime reduction focus on repeat offenders and emerging issues. Red Deer RCMP thank the public for their support in continuing to report suspicious vehicles and activity, which resulted in numerous more arrests over the past two weeks.

March 26 –

Shortly after 2 am on March 26, RCMP on patrol in an identified crime hot spot located a suspect in a stolen truck and arrested him without incident. The truck had been stolen out of Calgary.

29 year old Gregory Bruce Deering faces the following charges:

·         Criminal Code 355(a) – Possession of stolen property over $5,000

·         Criminal Code 733.1(1) – Fail to comply with probation X 2

Deering is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on April 16 at 8:30 am.

March 26 –

At 12:30 am on March 26, RCMP on patrol in an identified crime hot spot located a man who was wanted on outstanding warrants and arrested him after being given a false name. At the time of his arrest, the suspect was found to be breaching several court-imposed conditions, including a curfew.

36 year old Peter Gopher faces the following charges in addition to his warrants:

·         Criminal Code 129(a) – Resist/ obstruct peace officer

·         Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions X 2

Gopher was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on March 28 at 9:30 am.

March 24 –

Red Deer RCMP located and arrested a man who was wanted on warrants for possession of stolen property and failing to appear in court regarding a June 2016 break and enter in Red Deer. 56 year old Hans John Schafer had failed to appear in court several times regarding this file, and had several warrants issued and executed by RCMP over the past year. After RCMP arrested him on March 24, he was remanded and will appear in court in Red Deer on April 3 at 8:30 am to face the charges against him.

March 23 –

Shortly before 1:30 pm, a Community Peace Officer in downtown Red Deer determined that the vehicle he was conducting a traffic stop on had been stolen; RCMP attended and arrested the suspect without incident. A 34 year old man faces a charge of possession of stolen property over $5,000 (CC 355(a)) and is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on May 8 at 9:30 am. His name cannot be released at this time as that charge has not yet been sworn before the courts.

March 23 –

Shortly before 3:30 am on March 23, RCMP responded to a report of suspicious activity at a convenience store in south Red Deer; on arrival, RCMP located a suspect who was known to be wanted on an outstanding warrant for breaching his probation; police took the suspect into custody without incident and found him to be in possession of break-in tools.

In addition to his warrant, 47 year old Joel Bremner faces a charge of Criminal Code 351(1) – Possess break-in tools. Bremner was scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on March 27.

March 22 –

At 11:30 pm on March 22, RCMP responded to a report of someone entering parked vehicles in the Normandeau neighbourhood and arrested a man as he was going through the contents of a truck. At the time of his arrest, the suspect was wanted on outstanding warrants for breaching parole and failing to comply with conditions.

In addition to those warrants, 39 year old Matthew Peter Schoonderwoerd faces the following charges:

·         Criminal Code 334(b) – Theft under $5,000

·         Criminal Code 430(4) – Mischief under $5,000 X 2

·         Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions

·         Criminal Code 733.1(1) – Fail to comply with probation X 2

·         Criminal Code 355(b) – Possession of stolen property under $5,000

Schoonderwoerd is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on March 28 at 9:30 am.

March 21 –

Shortly before 10 pm on March 21, RCMP on patrol in the Riverside Light industrial area located a stolen Dodge Ram as it drove on Riverside Drive. Police officers successfully laid a tire deflation device, and the truck drove on damaged back tires into the downtown, where it fled eastbound onto westbound Ross Street into oncoming traffic. Police did not pursue for public safety reasons, but tracked the truck into the Grandview neighbourhood as it drove on heavily damaged rims, lost control and came to a stop. The driver attempted to flee on foot but was arrested after a brief foot chase.

45 year old Cody Mitchell Morrow faces the following charges:

·         Criminal Code 129(a) – Resist/ obstruct peace officer

·         Criminal Code 249(1) – Dangerous operation of motor vehicle

·         Criminal Code 249.1(1) – Operate motor vehicle while pursued by police

·         Criminal Code 355(a) – Possession of stolen property over $5,000

·         Criminal Code 355(b) – Possession of stolen property under $5,000

Morrow was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on March 26 and is scheduled to appear again on April 4 at 9:30 am.

March 19 –

On March 19, RCMP obtained a warrant for the arrest of 26 year old Chance Aaron Shaw regarding a fraud complaint made to police on March 15. After investigating an allegation that Shaw had represented himself as a legal professional and had received payment for legal services from a victim in February and March of 2018, RCMP charged Shaw with one count of fraud over $5,000 (CC 380(1)(a)) and one count of failing to comply with conditions (CC 145(3)). Shaw is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on March 28 at 8:30 am.

March 18 –

The night of March 18, RCMP conducted a curfew check on an individual and determined that he was not at home, in violation of his court-imposed conditions. RCMP obtained a warrant for the arrest of 27 year old Robert Theus Handy and executed the warrant on March 22. Handy faces a charge of failing to comply with conditions and was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on March 26. He is scheduled to appear again on April 4 at 9:30 am.

March 16 –

The night of March 16, RCMP conducting a residence check on an individual determined that he was in breach of court-imposed residence conditions. RCMP obtained a warrant for his arrest and located and arrested the suspect on March 25.

28 year old Luke David Johnson faces a charge of failing to comply with conditions (CC 145(3)) and was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on March 27; he is scheduled to appear in court again on March 29 at 9:30 am.

March 14 –

At 4:30 am on March 14, RCMP on patrol in north Red Deer located a truck with an invalid license plate. For the safety of the public, RCMP waited until the truck was parked before blocking it in with several police vehicles. RCMP took the male driver and two female passengers into custody without incident; RCMP seized a sawed off rifle that was found beneath the driver’s seat along with ammunition and what is believed to be a counterfeit Canadian $50 bill. The male driver was wanted on outstanding warrants for possession of methamphetamine and failing to appear in court.

28 year old Dylan John Buehler (aka Dylan Warren) faces the following charges in addition to his warrants:

·         Criminal Code 94(1) – Possession of firearm in motor vehicle

·         Criminal Code 95(1) – Possession restricted firearm with ammunition without license

·         Criminal Code 91(1) – Unauthorized possession of firearm

·         Criminal Code 90(1) – Carry concealed weapon

·         Criminal Code 86(1) – Careless use of a firearm

·         CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule VIII substance

Warren is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on March 29 at 9:30 am.

A 27 year old woman will face one charge of Criminal Code 450 – Possession of counterfeit money and a 28 year old woman will face one charge of CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule VIII substance. Both women are scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on May 8 at 8:30 am; their names cannot be released at this time as those charges have not yet been sworn before the courts.

Related Topics:Crime Crime Spree Red Deer RCMP

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Why can’t we just say no?

Published on April 28, 2024

Todayville

From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy

By Susan Martinuk

Drug use and violence have become common place in hospitals. Drug-addicted patients openly smoke meth and fentanyl, and inject heroin. Dealers traffic illicit drugs. Nurses are harassed, forced to work amidst the toxic fumes from drugs and can’t confiscate weapons. In short, according to one nurse, “We’ve absolutely lost control.”

“Defining deviancy down” is a cultural philosophy that emerged in the United States during the 1990s.

It refers to society’s tendency to adjust its standards of deviancy “down,” so that behaviours which were once unacceptable become acceptable. Over time, this newly- acceptable behaviour can even become society’s norm.

Of course, the converse must also be true — society looks down on those who label social behaviours “wrong,” deeming them moralistic, judgemental or simply out of touch with the realities of modern life.

Thirty years later, this philosophy is entrenched in British Columbia politics and policies. The province has become a society that cannot say “no” to harmful or wrong behaviours related to drug use. It doesn’t matter if you view drug use as a medical issue, a law-and-order issue, or both – we have lost the ability to simply say “no” to harmful or wrong behaviour.

That much has become abundantly clear over the past two weeks as evidence mounts that BC’s experiment with decriminalization and safe supply of hard drugs is only making things worse.

A recently-leaked memo from BC’s Northern Health Authority shows the deleterious impact these measures have had on BC’s hospitals.

The memo instructs staff at the region’s hospitals to tolerate and not intervene with illegal drug use by patients. Apparently, staff should not be taking away any drugs or personal items like a knife or other weapons under four inches long. Staff cannot restrict visitors even if they are openly bringing illicit drugs into the hospital and conducting their drug transactions in the hallways.

The public was quite rightly outraged at the news and BC’s Health Minister Adrian Dix quickly attempted to contain the mess by saying that the memo was outdated and poorly worded.

But his facile excuses were quickly exposed by publication of the very clearly worded memo and by nurses from across the province who came forward to tell their stories of what is really happening in our hospitals.

The President of the BC Nurses Union, Adriane Gear, said the issue was “widespread” and “of significant magnitude.” She commented that the problems in hospitals spiked once the province decriminalized drugs. In a telling quote, she said, “Before there would be behaviours that just wouldn’t be tolerated, whereas now, because of decriminalization, it is being tolerated.”

Other nurses said the problem wasn’t limited to the Northern Health Authority. They came forward (both anonymously and openly) to say that drug use and violence have become common place in hospitals. Drug-addicted patients openly smoke meth and fentanyl, and inject heroin. Dealers traffic illicit drugs. Nurses are harassed, forced to work amidst the toxic fumes from drugs and can’t confiscate weapons. In short, according to one nurse, “We’ve absolutely lost control.”

People think that drug policies have no impact on those outside of drug circles – but what about those who have to share a room with a drug-smoking patient?

No wonder healthcare workers are demoralized and leaving in droves. Maybe it isn’t just related to the chaos of Covid.

The shibboleth of decriminalization faced further damage when Fiona Wilson, the deputy chief of Vancouver’s Police Department, testified before a federal Parliamentary committee to say that the policy has been a failure. There have been more negative impacts than positive, and no decreases in overdose deaths or the overdose rate. (If such data emerged from any other healthcare experiment, it would immediately be shut down).

Wison also confirmed that safe supply drugs are being re-directed to illegal markets and now account for 50% of safe supply drugs that are seized. Her words echoed those of BC’s nurses when she told the committee that the police, “have absolutely no authority to address the problem of drug use.”

Once Premier David Eby and Health Minister Adrian Dix stopped denying that drug use was occurring in hospitals, they continued their laissez-faire approach to illegal drugs with a plan to create “safe consumption sites” at hospitals. When that lacked public appeal, Mr. Dix said the province would establish a task force to study the issue.

What exactly needs to be studied?

The NDP government appears to be uninformed, at best, and dishonest, at worst. It has backed itself into a corner and is now taking frantic and even ludicrous steps to legitimize its experimental policy of decriminalization. The realities that show it is not working and is creating harm towards others and toward institutions that should be a haven for healing.

How quickly we have become a society that lacks the moral will – and the moral credibility – to just to say “no.”

Susan Martinuk is a Senior Fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and author of Patients at Risk: Exposing Canada’s Health-care Crisis.

Alberta

Former senior financial advisor charged with embezzling millions from Red Deer area residents

Published on April 26, 2024

Todayville

News release from Alberta RCMP

Former senior financial advisor charged for misappropriating nearly $5 million from clients

On April 4, 2024, the RCMP’s Provincial Financial Crime Team charged a Calgary resident for fraud-related offences after embezzling millions of dollars from his clients while serving as a senior financial advisor.

Following a thorough investigation, the accused is alleged to have fraudulently withdrawn funds from client accounts and deposited them into bank accounts he personally controlled. A total of sixteen victims were identified in the Red Deer area and suffered a combined loss of nearly $5 million.

Marc St. Pierre, 52, a resident of Calgary, was arrested and charged with:

Fraud over $5,000 contrary to section 380(1)(a) of the Criminal Code; and,
Theft over $5,000 contrary to section 344(a) of the Criminal Code.

St. Pierre is scheduled to appear in Red Deer Provincial Court on May 14, 2024.

“The ability for financial advisors to leverage their position to conduct frauds and investment scams represents a significant risk to the integrity of Alberta’s financial institutions. The investigation serves as an important reminder for all banking clients to regularly check their accounts for any suspicious activity and to report it to their bank’s fraud prevention team.”

Sgt. John Lamming, Provincial Financial Crime Team

The Provincial Financial Crime Team is a specialized unit that conducts investigations relating to multi-jurisdictional serious fraud, investments scams and corruption.