Members of the Chestermere RCMP and the Calgary Police Service (CPS) successfully apprehended a man in a doghouse after a two-hour ground search led by a police dog through winter conditions, Nov. 30.
At around 1:55 a.m., RCMP was alerted to the fact CPS was following a stolen Chrysler Concord towards Chestermere. The car struck a large rock sign near Our Lady of Wisdom School along Rainbow Road, and the driver fled the scene on foot.
Chestermere and Strathmore RCMP members, along with the CPS, set up a containment area and called in a police service dog to help with tracking the suspect in the blizzard-like conditions.
The suspect was found hiding in a doghouse at a farmyard on the outskirts of the town after a two-hour search.
The CPS charged a 43-year-old man from Calgary with a number of offences including theft of vehicle and flight from police. He is well known to the CPS for prior vehicle thefts, as well as a number of outstanding arrest warrants.
RCMP said there were no damages to the rock sign and no injuries resulted from this incident.
A convicted sex offender, who pleaded guilty to impersonating a police officer when he kidnapped a 10-year-old girl from Calgary’s Deerfoot Mall and drove her to Airdrie before releasing her on Feb. 24, will stand trial beginning in May.
Convicted sex offender John Francis Dionne, 43, of Calgary, will head to Calgary court on May 28 for a three-week hearing to determine if he will be declared a dangerous offender or a long-term offender.
Dionne, who was convicted of sexual assault using a weapon and kidnapping in 2003, will be imprisoned indefinitely if declared dangerous. He will serve at least two years in prison if declared a long-term offender, and be subject to up to 10 years of supervision in the community afterwards.
The Airdrie Integrated Traffic Unit responded to three property damage collisions, as well as a number of other calls along Highway 2 between the Calgary city limits and the Didsbury overpass, during a snowstorm on Dec. 3.
Reduced visibility from fresh snowfall and blowing snow, as well as slippery road surfaces created challenging driving conditions, although no injuries were reported from any of the crashes.
RCMP had an advisory, recommending against non-essential travel, in place until the evening of Dec. 4.
If you have information about any unsolved crime, contact your local RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
