Crime
Red Deer RCMP make arrests in crime hot spots
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 2Deering 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 2Gopher 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 $5,000Schoonderwoerd 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 $5,000Morrow 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 substanceWarren 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.
Calgary – City officials say it could cost more than two million dollars to repair the Calgary Municipal Building after someone broke in and set fires that triggered the sprinkler system earlier this month.
Carla Male, who’s the acting city manager, says in a news release that there’s extensive water damage on three floors of the building.
It includes the equipment on those floors and the building itself.
Male says it will be several months before the final bill is in, but the initial review shows it could cost between $1.3 and $2.2 million.
The tally includes the emergency response required to minimize the damage as well as the relocation of services and restoration of the building, furniture and equipment.
The city expects 80 per cent of the costs to be covered by insurance.
Alberta’s police watchdog continues to investigate the arrest of a man who’s accused of breaking into the building on Aug. 2.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has said that police tried to talk to the man, but were unsuccessful.
It says several officers fired non-lethal weapons and the man was arrested with the help of a dog team.
ASIRT says the man was transported to hospital after “sustaining significant injury” during that arrest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2022.
CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. (AP) — Salman Rushdie, the author whose writing led to death threats from Iran in the 1980s, was attacked and apparently stabbed in the neck Friday by a man who rushed the stage as he was about to give a lecture in western New York.
An Associated Press reporter witnessed a man confront Rushdie on stage at the Chautauqua Institution and punch or stab him 10 to 15 times as he was being introduced. The 75-year-old author was pushed or fell to the floor, and the man was arrested.
State police said Rushdie was apparently stabbed in the neck and was flown to a hospital. His condition wasn’t immediately known. The moderator at the event was also attacked and suffered a minor head injury, police said.
Rabbi Charles Savenor was among the roughly 2,500 people in the audience. Amid gasps, spectators were ushered out of the outdoor amphitheater.
The assailant ran onto the platform “and started pounding on Mr. Rushdie. At first you’re like, ‘What’s going on?’ And then it became abundantly clear in a few seconds that he was being beaten,” Savenor said. He said the attack lasted about 20 seconds.
Another spectator, Kathleen Jones, said the attacker was dressed in black, with a black mask.
“We thought perhaps it was part of a stunt to show that there’s still a lot of controversy around this author. But it became evident in a few seconds” that it wasn’t, she said.
A bloodied Rushdie was quickly surrounded by a small group of people who held up his legs, presumably to send more blood to his chest.
Rushdie has been a prominent spokesman for free expression and liberal causes. He is a former president of PEN America, which said it was “reeling from shock and horror” at the attack.
“We can think of no comparable incident of a public violent attack on a literary writer on American soil,” CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement.
Rushdie “has been targeted for his words for decades but has never flinched nor faltered,” she added.
His 1988 book “The Satanic Verses” was viewed as blasphemous by many Muslims. Often-violent protests against Rushdie erupted around the world, including a riot that killed 12 people in Mumbai.
The novel was banned in Iran, where the late leader Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a 1989 fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s death. Khomeini died that same year.
Iran’s current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has never issued a fatwa of his own withdrawing the edict, though Iran in recent years hasn’t focused on the writer.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday’s attack.
A bounty of over $3 million has also been offered for anyone who kills Rushdie.
The death threats and bounty led Rushdie to go into hiding under a British government protection program, which included a round-the-clock armed guard. Rushdie emerged after nine years of seclusion and cautiously resumed more public appearances, maintaining his outspoken criticism of religious extremism overall.
He has said he is proud of his fight for freedom of expression, saying in a 2012 talk in New York that terrorism is really the art of fear.
“The only way you can defeat it is by deciding not to be afraid,” he said.
Iran’s government has long since distanced itself from Khomeini’s decree, but anti-Rushdie sentiment has lingered. The Index on Censorship, an organization promoting free expression, said money was raised to boost the reward for his killing as recently as 2016, underscoring that the fatwa for his death still stands.
In 2012, Rushdie published a memoir, “Joseph Anton,” about the fatwa. The title came from the pseudonym Rushdie had used while in hiding.
Rushdie rose to prominence with his Booker Prize-winning 1981 novel “Midnight’s Children,” but his name became known around the world after “The Satanic Verses.”
The Chautauqua Institution, about 55 miles southwest of Buffalo in a rural corner of New York, has served for more than a century as a place for reflection and spiritual guidance. Visitors don’t pass through metal detectors or undergo bag checks. Most people leave the doors to their century-old cottages unlocked at night.
Police said a state trooper was assigned to Rushdie’s lecture.
The Chautauqua center is known for its summertime lecture series, where Rushdie has spoken before. Speakers address a different topic each week. Rushdie and moderator Henry Reese were set to discuss “the United States as asylum for writers and other artists in exile and as a home for freedom of creative expression.”
___
Associated Press writers Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York; Michael Hill in Albany, New York; and Jennifer Peltz in New York City contributed to this report.
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