Muskoday man sentenced for muddy police chase
A 30-year-old Muskoday man was sentenced to 55 days in custody Friday morning for leading police on a car and foot chase through a muddy field last April.
Sidney Norman Bear was arrested April 30, 2017 after an off-duty RCMP member spotted an F-150 truck swerving erratically on Highway 2, North of Prince Albert. Crown prosecutor John Syrnick said the RCMP officer used his radio to alert other officers, who intercepted Bear near a few kilometres outside the city.
When the officer activated his lights and siren, Syrnick said Bear “wheeled his truck into the ditch … and floored the gas pedal.” The truck, with Bear behind the wheel, quickly became stuck in a field, Syrnick said, and Bear took off running through the mud with the officer in pursuit.
Syrnick said the officer briefly lost sight of Bear, but encountered a farmer on a quad bike who pointed him in the right direction. The farmer lent his quad to the officer, Syrnick said, and Bear was soon found lying down in a nearby stand of bushes. After a final sprint for freedom, Syrnick said Bear tripped over a fence and was taken into custody. Bear was found to have alcohol in his system, but in amounts under the legal limit for impaired driving.