An Airdrie woman was hospitalized on Dec. 30 with hypothermia after she was discovered unconscious in the parking lot of the Shell gas station in Sierra Springs, located at 2820 Main Street.
At 6 a.m., Airdrie RCMP officers were dispatched to the gas station where they located the unconscious woman.
According to RCMP reports, EMS had trouble finding a pulse on the woman, but were able to revive her before transporting her to hospital.
“Thankfully the paramedics got there when they did and were able to use their expertise to save this woman,” said Airdrie RCMP Sgt. Gordon Sage.
The 36-year-old Airdrie woman had been at a social event at a relatives’ house the night before and was last seen by family members at midnight. It is believed that alcohol is a factor in this incident, according to Sage.
“Her vehicle had become stuck in a snow bank at the Shell station and she got out of her car,” said Sage. “She is the registered owner of the vehicle and she was found nearby, we believe that she was driving the vehicle but that’s an assumption at this point.”
As of press time, the woman remains hospitalized in the intensive care unit.
Man caught prowling
A 32-year-old Airdrie man was arrested on Dec. 25 after High River RCMP received a call of a suspicious person in the neighbourhood surrounding the Rowan House Woman’s Shelter.
High River RCMP received a call that the man had been prowling around the outside of the shelter and looking into the windows. Prior to police arriving, the suspect got into a dark coloured SUV. When police tried to stop the vehicle, the suspect continued to drive for several blocks before crashing into a snow bank and becoming stuck.
The driver attempted to free the vehicle while police ordered him to stop. He was taken into custody without further incident.
RCMP believed the driver was under the influence of alcohol and he was subsequently arrested and processed as an impaired driver, in addition to several other offences that arose from the suspect being near the Rowan House and items seized from the vehicle.
At the time of his arrest, the suspect was considered at large for breaching recognizance in relation to four other unrelated criminal charges that were before the courts. All of those charges are from outside the High River area.
Police do not believe that the man is associated with anyone who presently resides in the woman’s shelter.
Andre Manbweni Mpika is facing 16 new criminal charges, including: flight from police, impaired operation of a motor vehicle, refusal to provide a breath sample, trespass at night, mischief under $5,000, possession of instruments suitable for the purpose of breaking into place, and numerous individual charges for failing to comply with conditions of recognizance.
Mpika was remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear in Calgary Provincial Court on Jan. 30.
Check Stops
The Airdrie Integrated Traffic Unit (ITU) conducted a second series of enhanced check stops on Dec. 21 and into the morning of Dec. 22 in the Beiseker and Airdrie areas.
The ITU handed out three 72 hour license suspensions for alcohol, two 30-day driving suspensions for drivers who were driving against their “no alcohol” conditions, and one 24-hour driving suspension for driving under the influence of drugs.
On top of the listed charges, several other tickets were issued for a variety of infractions including, no seatbelt and distracted driving.
Shortly after midnight on Dec. 22, a 33-year-old man from Edmonton, currently on parole and with a suspended license, was pulled into a check stop, driving a vehicle with a stolen license plate.
According to RCMP, the man couldn’t give a reason to be driving into Airdrie and was dressed in black and had a number of tools with him. He was arrested and his parole was revoked.
He now faces numerous charges related offenses and new Criminal Code charges for possession of break-in tools and possession of stolen property.
Airdrie ITU Cpl. Darrin Turnbull says when pulling over hundreds of vehicles in a night, it is not uncommon to make these types of discoveries.
“Our main focus with these check stops is to determine if people are drinking and driving,” said Turnbull.
“In some instances though, we’ll find that people are driving with a suspended license or breaking conditions.”
Shortly after the Edmonton man was arrested, a 24-year-old man from Calgary pulled into a check stop and officers entered into a drug investigation, which led to an arrest. The man also could not provide a reason as to why he was driving into Airdrie and he was also discovered to be a suspended driver.
He was in possession of numerous items consistent with drug trafficking, including suspected drugs and a large sum of cash. He is now facing charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime.
This was the second straight weekend that the ITU has conducted an enhanced check stop; Turnbull says he is satisfied with the results of the check stops so far, though he would prefer to see no charges laid.
“I hope to see zero charges from these check stops,” he said.
“If we don’t see any charges laid, that means that we’re getting our message out there and people aren’t drinking and driving.”
If you have information on any unsolved crime, call Airdrie RCMP at 403-945-7200.
