(submitted photo)

By Nigel Maxwell

Rural Crime

Community members assist RCMP by catching thieves

Jan 21, 2020 | 2:00 PM

Community members are feeling relieved their neighbours are watching out for them after a tense situation north of Prince Albert that resulted in the arrest of two theft suspects, one of which was allegedly armed with a gun.

Around 7 a.m. Sunday morning, Prince Albert RCMP responded to a reported break and enter and theft at a property in the Rural Municipality of Buckland. The suspects were identified as a man and a woman.

Upon arrival, officers located and placed the woman in custody. The male suspect fled the area on foot prior to police arrival and was believed to be in possession of a long barrelled firearm. The owner of the property where the female suspect was located said he saw both suspects break into his garage.

“They tried stealing my truck and did property damage as well. The whole neighbourhood arrived and assisted in detaining one of the crooks. RCMP arrived moments later,” he said. The man declined to provide his name out of privacy concerns.

The property owner claimed prior to the arrest, the duo broke into another house in the area, and were driving a stolen vehicle. While all this was happening, neighbours were busy calling each other, sharing information.

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“This spooked the crooks and they proceeded to drive away just as the neighbour came into the driveway. A collision happened. The crooks left the vehicle and ran into the field onto my property. I was called and saw them break into [my] garage,” the property owner said.

With the help of Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment conservation officers and Police Dog Services (PDS), police tracked the man for approximately five kilometres. It led them to a vacant rural property approximately 10 kilometers north of the Prince Albert detachment.

RCMP Cpl. Rob King said it’s not uncommon to do a long search through a rural area.

“A dog, once they get on a track, and if there’s nothing interfering with a track, can stay on the track for quite a while. The dogs are very determined and in this type of weather you don’t have to worry about the dog overheating and getting exhausted,” he said.

Following negotiations with the Emergency Response Team on scene, the male surrendered and was arrested without incident. The investigation is ongoing, and the names of the suspects have not been released yet.

“There was a great team effort between some citizens that got involved. The [Protection and Response Team], specifically conservation officers, who all attended to the scene rather quickly and were able to assist in not only locating where the suspect had fled to, but also assisting in setting up containment around the area,” King said.

Karla Bear, the president of the Lake Country Crime Watch Group echoed King’s sentiments and praised community members for sharing information in real time.

“There has been increased communication via Facebook and WhatsApp groups. Neighbours have been watching out for one another and it is making a difference. I’m very proud of everyone’s efforts. We can’t stop criminals from trying but we don’t have to make it easy for them,” she said.

The two suspects have made their first court appearances. Jonathan Meldrum, 26, is scheduled to have a bail hearing Wednesday morning. Jazmine Crowe, 25, is expected to make her next court appearance on Jan. 30.

Editor’s note: this story was amended to include the names of those charged. Generally, names can only be reported once they have made a first court appearance. Also the article was amended to remove the RCMP’s reference to Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management (SERM), which is no longer a department of government.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell