One man was arrested without incident on Aug. 26 following a lengthy chase that travelled across central Alberta.
Cody Alan Feil of Ponoka, 32, was taken into custody in Ponoka around 8 p.m. that day by members of the Central Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) and officers from the Ponoka detachment.
The incident began the previous day, just before 5 p.m., with Bashaw RCMP receiving a report of a stolen truck on the eastern edge of Ponoka County.
Further information was received a short time later that the suspect had stolen a firearm and a wallet from an unlocked vehicle in Camrose County. At that point, additional units including RCMP air services, the Wetaskiwin CRU and Ponoka’s general investigation section were deployed.
Despite that, the suspect evaded police, abandoning that truck and entering at least seven other area properties during the chase, stealing multiple vehicles that were not locked and had the keys in the ignition.
As the chase went on the RCMP’s emergency response team and police dog units were added to the response.
However, due to the length of the chase and the growing risk from the driving pattern and high speeds, the suspect eluded police and the RCMP helicopter had to refuel.
Search efforts that evening were not successful, until the next day, when the officers executed a search warrant on a Ponoka home and arrested Feil.
He is now facing 36 charges that include criminal flight from police, vehicle theft and various traffic safety violations. He was also wanted on five outstanding warrants. He was denied bail and will remain in custody until his court appearance in Wetaskiwin on Sept. 8.
Bashaw RCMP Sgt. Bruce Holliday was happy the incident that wandered through multiple police jurisdictions and several different scenes throughout the day was able to be concluded safely.
“This was an excellent example of investigators from multiple detachments including Bashaw, Ponoka and Stettler collaboratively working together while also utilizing the specialized skills of support units such as the CRU, police dog services and air support services to apprehend the individuals responsible for crimes in multiple jurisdictions,” Holliday said, who stated nine stolen vehicles were also recovered during the investigation.
However, Holliday added this incident may well have been avoided if residents didn’t make it easy for this type of crime to occur.
“The Bashaw RCMP are aware of the increased activity during our important harvest time,” he said.
“But please remain vigilant and remove keys from vehicles and secure your properties to prevent incidents of theft. Together we can make a difference in crime prevention in our rural communities.”
Pair charged
Two people known to police are under arrest and now facing several charges each.
Kenton Wood, 26, and Danielle Bishop, 28, — both from Bashaw — were taken into custody by RCMP after a brief foot chase as the pair were leaving a home in Bashaw on Aug. 19.
Officers from both the Bashaw RCMP and the Central Alberta District’s Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) were involved in the arrest, while members from Ponoka’s general investigation unit were also involved in the investigation.
Bishop was already being sought for previously fleeing from police in Bashaw in a stolen vehicle and officers located a stolen vehicle parked near the residence.
Following their apprehension and booking into cells at the Bashaw detachment, police were able to obtain and execute a search warrant at the home.
Once inside, officers located a variety of drugs, stolen property and a weapon. The stolen items included four licence plates, identification, credit cards, mail and other documents.
Also recovered was ammunition, a prohibited stun gun and a quantity of methamphetamine.
Bishop was released on $100 cash bail and must comply with a list of conditions until her next court appearance Sept. 10 in Stettler.
Meanwhile, Wood was denied bail and will remain in custody until he appears in a Red Deer courtroom on Sept. 3.
Another caught
Some vigilant residents on the eastern edge of Ponoka County can be credited for helping the Bashaw RCMP latch onto another suspect in a stolen vehicle.
On Aug. 13, officers along with the Central Alberta District CRU arrived in the area and located the suspicious vehicle that was reported and determined it was stolen.
Police then arrested Lester Martin, 35, who turned out to have several warrants from a variety of jurisdictions..
Martin was denied bail on the 11 charges he faces and remanded in custody, while his first court appearance was set for Aug. 31 in Red Deer.