A grenade found by employees in the glove box of a vehicle destined for auction at Adesa Calgary auction house on Veteran’s Blvd. NE on Aug. 5 was inert, according to RCMP.
“The pin and the lever were still there, but the fuse had been taken out. It had been drilled out from the bottom,” explained RCMP Media Liaison Constable Jason Curtis. “The way it was positioned in the glove box, (employees) couldn’t see that.”
Employees found the grenade just before 12 p.m. and called RCMP. Curtis said it was the right thing to do.
“If you see anything of question like that, better to just give us a call just to make sure everything is safe.”
When officers arrived, they couldn’t tell if the grenade was live and called the Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU) in Edmonton for assistance. Over the phone, the EDU was able to work with officers to determine if the grenade was inert.
Curtis said the previous owner of the vehicle will not be contacted by police.
“There’s no indication that it was anything untoward,” he said. “It may have just been an old souvenir.”
Keeping old ammunition as a souvenir is not legal, but Curtis said he has seen it before.
“Anyone with any military service will tell you, everyone’s got the odd souvenir,” he said.
Officers took the grenade to the Airdrie detachment for safekeeping until it can be picked up by the EDU.
“The EDU takes this stuff kind of seriously,” said Curtis. “It can cause panic, so they’ll (pick it up) as they’re passing through and dispose of it properly.”
Curtis said he couldn’t say for sure how the grenade will be disposed of, but thought it would most likely be melted down.
Theft at Macs
The RCMP is asking for the public’s help to identify a man who held up the Macs convenience store on Summerfeld Blvd. at 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 8.
According to RCMP, the lone male clerk was in the store when a man entered, approached the counter and pushed him. The man then grabbed one of the cash registers and ran outside to a waiting vehicle. The clerk activated the store’s alarm, resulting in officers being dispatched to the scene.
The clerk was not injured in the incident. A single customer in the store at the time was also not injured.
According Curtis, the clerk was able to provide police with a description of the suspect. He is described as approximately 30 years of age, 5’6” tall with a medium build, dark skin and short dark hair. He was wearing glasses, a black shirt and jeans.
The register was found near Highway 2 and Highway 566 in Balzac at approximately 6 a.m., according to RCMP. Officers were alerted to its whereabouts by a passing motorist. Curtis said the register was empty when it was recovered.
The clerk and customer were not able to provide descriptions of the waiting vehicle or the two people inside, according to Curtis. He said officers are continuing to investigate and the amount of money the suspect got away with has not been determined.
Llamas on the loose
Officers from the Airdrie RCMP detachment were called to help corral a horse and a pair of llamas on the lam near Airdrie Trailer Sales on southbound Highway 2 at approximately 12 p.m. on Aug. 6, according to Airdrie RCMP Constable Darin Turnbull.
The three animals wandered away from a nearby farm and were close to the highway when they were spotted by numerous passing motorists.
“Some citizens had already stopped to assist in the lassoing of the llamas,” said Turnbull. “They were escorted back between Highway 2 and Dickson-Stevenson Trail and they were safely removed. The farmer came by as well and helped.”
No one was injured and no llamas were hurt in the incident, according to RCMP.
Thief identified
Thanks to information received from members of the public, Airdrie RCMP said they’ve been able to identify a man who stole a $600 vacuum cleaner from the Costco near CrossIron Mills mall in Balzac on July 30.
RCMP issued a request for the public’s assistance in identifying the man on Aug. 5. RCMP Media Liaison Constable Jason Curtis said officers had received more than 10 calls from the public identifying the man and are confident he is the one responsible for the theft.
Curtis said officers will be out looking for the man and hope to make an arrest shortly. Until he is charged, he cannot be identified.
Staff at the Costco told RCMP the man entered the store at 5 p.m., took a vacuum cleaner off the shelf and went to the returns counter to try to return it. When he was asked for his membership card, staff said he told them it was in his vehicle and he left the building with the vacuum cleaner.
When he failed to return, staff realized what had happened and called RCMP, according to Curtis.
Robbery suspect
The Airdrie RCMP is seeking assistance in identifying a male suspect in a robbery from ATB Financial, located at 404 Main Street.
On Aug. 12 at about 4:51 p.m., a lone man entered the Alberta Treasury Branch Financial Bank. The man approached an empty wicket, threatened to shoot the employees and demanded money. He gave the teller an empty plastic bag to put the money into. A weapon was never produced. An undisclosed amount of money was taken. The man entered the passenger seat of a beige vehicle, with an unknown licence plate and fled the scene in an unknown direction.
Airdrie RCMP and Airdrie General Investigative Section attended and are investigating. The suspect is described as Caucasian, about 5’6”, with an average build, between 40 and 50 years old, wearing a black baseball hat, blue pullover with the hood pulled over the hat and black gloves.
If you have any information on any crime, call your Airdrie RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
