Two motorists were killed as a result of separate multi-vehicle collisions on southern Alberta highways on Jan. 29.
A 27-year-old female from Chestermere was pronounced dead at the scene of an accident that occurred on Highway 1 at approximately 7:20 a.m. when her vehicle collided with an oncoming pickup truck.
The female was attempting to make a left turn from Range Road 281 on to Highway 1 when an eastbound Dodge pickup truck struck the driver’s side of her Audi A4.
Strathmore RCMP, along with Chestermere Fire and Rescue and Alberta Sheriffs responded to the collision, and Highway 1 eastbound at Range Road 281 had to be shut down for close to an hour.
Speed and alcohol were not believed to be factors in the collision and road conditions were clear and dry at the time.
“This accident is being treated as driver error,” said Sgt. Steve Vince, Strathmore RCMP. “The driver of the Audi just didn’t allow herself enough time to make the turn.”
The two occupants of the pickup truck, a 43-year-old male and his nine year old son were both transported by Alberta Health Services ground ambulances to area hospitals.
The name of the deceased is not being released.
Shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Jan 29, members of the Airdrie Integrated Traffic Unit (ITU) attended the scene of a serious collision on Highway 2 just north of Airdrie.
A northbound Nissan pickup truck had lost control and crossed in to the southbound lanes where it collided with a semi truck.
“We’re still speaking with witnesses and waiting for the report back from the forensic accident reconstruction department, but at this point we believe the cause of the accident was the weather and road conditions,” said Cpl. Darrin Turnbull, Airdrie ITU.
The north and southbound lanes where the accident occurred are separated by a cable barrier and Turnbull explained that because of snow build up the Nissan pickup jumped over it quite easily.
“With the snow melting and freezing over the past few weeks there’s been quite a bit of hard pack on those barriers and the level of snow built up to the point where the height of the barrier was reduced,” he said.
The driver and lone occupant of the Nissan, a 35-year-old man from Calgary was taken to hospital by ground ambulance, as STARS Air Ambulance was unable to get to the scene because of the weather. He later succumbed to his injuries. His family has been notified and his name will not be released at this time.
Strathmore RCMP seized nearly five kilograms of marijuana from the trunk of a car just outside of Calgary during a traffic stop.
A Strathmore RCMP officer was driving eastbound on Highway 1 when he pulled over the driver of a 2005 Acura EL for a traffic violation.
The traffic stop quickly turned into a drug investigation and the driver was subsequently arrested.
“There were no tips or anything on this driver, the officer who conducted the stop made observations that were consistent with drugs being in the vehicle,” said Sgt. Steve Vince.
A search of the vehicle turned up nearly five kilograms of marijuana in the trunk.
A 59-year old male from Calgary was taken in to police custody and driven to the Strathmore detachment office, his vehicle was towed.
The man was charged under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act with possession for the purpose of trafficking. His name will not be released until charges are sworn before the court.
He was released and is scheduled to appear in Strathmore Provincial Court on March 7, 2014.
Okotoks RCMP are working to identify three suspects who ransacked a Springbank home, stole two vehicles and attempted to break in to another home.
On Jan. 24 at around 9:30 a.m. Okotoks RCMP were dispatched to a call of a break and enter in progress at a rural property south west of Okotoks.
The owner of the home was in the residence at the time of the break and enter and scared the suspects off.
The homeowner witnessed the suspects depart in a light brown 2010 Audio A5 convertible, bearing an Alberta license plate ‘AUDIAUS’.
A short time after the break and enter, the suspects were located at a gas station in Black Diamond. Police attempted to stop the vehicle and a high speed pursuit ensued. The suspects managed to evade the police.
Cochrane RCMP attended a home in Springbank of the registered owner of the Audi A5 where they confirmed that the home had been broken in to.
The Audi, along with a Lexus RX350 were both stolen from the garage of the residence. A number of high value items were stolen from within the home, including jewelry and an extensive wine collection.
Further investigation resulted in police obtaining video surveillance of the suspects; they are described as:
Suspect 1: White male, approximately 30 years old, around 6 feet tall, approximately 220 pounds, brown hair, tattooed sleeves on both arms.
Suspect 2: White male, approximately 30 years old, around 5’9 tall, approximately 180 pounds with black hair.
Suspect 3: White female, approximately 30 years of age with dark hair.
It is suspected that these individuals may have been involved in similar break and enters in Calgary and surrounding areas.
“We’ve had a lot of response from the public regarding these suspects,” said Sgt. Donna Rorison, Okotoks RCMP. “They have been spread out over a pretty wide area and lots of household property has been stolen, this is a very active investigation and we’ve had tremendous response and we’re very appreciative of it.”
Anyone with information on an unsolved crime can contact their local RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers at: 1-800-222-8477.
