Policing in Alberta to June 17, 2014

Missing Blackfalds teen

Leduc armed robbery suspect sought

EPS releases video footage of fatal hit-and-run suspect

Parkland area teacher charged with sexual offences against student

Pincher Creek RCMP complaints summary June 9-16, 2014

Bank robbery in Calgary

Taxi driver assists EPS in CAT Deployment

Hit and run in Brooks

Couple charged with Grande Prairie online rental scams

Boyle area Enhanced Traffic Enforcement Project

Break and enter at Hairy Hill farmyard

Missing Blackfalds teen

Blackfalds RCMP received a call for assistance on June 16, 2014 to locate a 15 year old female, Karissa LABAR, who is missing from an address in Blackfalds, Alberta. Karissa LABAR was last seen by her grandmother on the evening of Friday, June 13, 2014, in Blackfalds, Alberta. Karissa LABAR is described as being a Caucasian female, 5’3″ tall, 130 pounds, brown eyes and red/brown hair.
The Blackfalds RCMP are requesting the public’s assistance with any information that might help to determine the whereabouts of Karissa LABAR.

Please contact the Blackfalds RCMP Detachment at 403-885-3333, your local police or Crime Stoppers with any information on the whereabouts of Karissa LABAR.

Leduc armed robbery suspect sought

Leduc armed robbery suspect

On June 16th at approximately 1:30 pm a Caucasian male entered Chad's Smoke Shop in Leduc. The male pretended to shop around and waited until other customers left. The male approached the staff member in the store and indicated he had a weapon and would use it, and demanded money. An undisclosed amount of money and merchandise was taken. No one was hurt as a result of this robbery.

Leduc RCMP responded to the area and with assistance of the RCMP Police Dog Service the immediate area was searched. The suspect fled the area in an unknown direction.

Leduc armed robbery suspect

Leduc RCMP is asking for the support of the public in identifying the individual believed to be involved with this robbery. The individual is described as:

• Caucasian male, in his 30's
• 5'8"- 5'9" tall
• Approximately 180 lbs
• Medium build
• Thick brown hair, medium length
• Ears proportionally larger than head
• Smoker
• Last seen wearing blue-grey cotton knit long sleeve shirt with white lettering along the front, straight blue jeans, black dress shoes
• Have a scar over his right eye, open sores on his face

Leduc RCMP asks that anyone with information please contact the RCMP 780-980-7267 or Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477. We ask that should a member of the public see the suspect, they call police and DO NOT approach this individual.

"We believe at times like this the public can be our eye's and ears, and help us identify the person involved." Says Cst. Julian Celms of the Leduc RCMP. "No one in our community supports actions of people who commit crimes like this."

EPS releases video footage of fatal hit-and-run suspect

The Edmonton Police Service continues to investigate last week’s fatal pedestrian hit and run involving a stolen truck, and is releasing video surveillance footage of the suspect in the hopes the public can help to identify the man.

The surveillance footage of the suspect was taken at a liquor store in the area of 45 Street and 118 Avenue at approximately 1:40 a.m. on Friday, June 13, 2014. Other footage was taken from a vehicle dash cam seconds after the fatal incident took place on June 13 while the suspect and stolen truck drove away from 116 A Avenue southbound on 29 Street. 

The suspect is described as an Aboriginal male, in his 30s, approximately 6’0”to 6’2” in height, with a medium build, medium length brown/black hair, and may be wearing jeans, and a red and white horizontal striped shirt. While at the liquor store, the suspect was also believed to be wearing a distinctive baseball cap with a silkscreened image that says “Big Blunt – Join the Sky High Club.”

Anyone with information that can help to identify and locate this suspect is asked to contact the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.tipsubmit.com/start.htm

Parkland area teacher charged with sexual offences against student

A Parkland area high school teacher has been charged with sexual offences relating to a female student. Spruce Grove/Stony Plain RCMP received a complaint in February of this year, and launched an investigation into allegations of sexual assault by a male teacher.

Following a thorough investigation and consultation with Alberta Justice, police have laid charges of sexual assault and sexual exploitation against 43 year old James Richard PRATT of Spruce Grove. The female victim was a teenaged student of the accused, and has been provided support from Victim Services during this difficult time.

Mr. PRATT was arrested June 12th, and released on a Recognizance, with a condition to have no contact with the victim. He will make his first court appearance in Stony Plain Provincial Court on Wednesday, July 16th at 9:30 am.

Mr. PRATT was removed from his teaching position in February. Student safety is of utmost priority for the Parkland School Division, and they are taking these allegations and subsequent charges very seriously.

Parkland School Division will not be releasing any statements, as a matter of respect for the court process and respect for the privacy of all involved.

Pincher Creek RCMP complaints summary June 9-16, 2014

Uttering Threats - 1
Impaired Driving - 3
Drugs - 1
Disturbing the Peace - 2
MV Collisions - 5
Liquor Offences - 1
Suspicious Occurrences(general) - 2
Assistance to General Public (general) - 1
Assistance to other agencies - 4
False Alarms - 4
Animal calls - 4

Bank robbery in Calgary

The Calgary Police Service is seeking public assistance in connection with a bank robbery Monday morning. On June 16, 2014 at approximately 11:20 am a man walked in to the Scotiabank located in the 1900 block of Southland Drive SW. He approached a teller and produced a robbery note demanding money. The man received an undisclosed amount of money before walking out of the bank and leaving the area. There were no injuries during the robbery.

The suspect is described as Caucasian, between 25 and 30 years old, 5’10” to 5’11” tall, and 180 pounds with a medium build. He has short blond hair and was wearing a red hoodie.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Calgary Police Service Robbery Unit at 403-428-8787 or Crime Stoppers anonymously using any of the following methods:
TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: tttTIPS.com
TEXT: tttTIPS to 274637

Taxi driver assists EPS in CAT Deployment

A cab driver on Whyte Avenue played a pivotal role in helping members of the EPS Southwest Division CAT Deployment to locate and arrest a fleeing hit-and-run suspect early Saturday morning.

Just after midnight, a Dodge Neon collided with a parked car between 103 and 104 streets on Whyte Avenue. The suspect vehicle then rolled and came to a stop on its side in the busy entertainment district. It was reported that a 20-year-old male, who was driving the vehicle, climbed out of the vehicle, then jumped on a bus and fled the scene.

The cab driver followed the bus and quickly contacted police, who arrived and arrested the suspect near the University of Alberta’s Hub mall shortly thereafter.

Nicholas Vaillancourt, 20, is charged with impaired driving and hit and run.

Motorcycle noise on the Avenue also kept members busy during the most recent CAT deployment. Officers pulled over close to 100 motorcyclists Saturday evening and issued 41 tickets for exhaust infractions (idle or RPM text) and 64 in total for other traffic safety violations.

The CAT team also seized more than 77,000 gms of illegal tobacco valued at close to $10,000 – the largest such seizure in EPS history – from an establishment on the Avenue. Charges are pending.

The Southwest Division CAT deployment focused police and community efforts on reducing crime and disorder on Whyte Avenue and surrounding neighbourhoods between 99 and 109 streets between June 11-14.

Hit and run in Brooks

Brooks RCMP are requesting assistance from the community in solving the following hit and run. Sometime between 6:15 PM and 6:20 PM on June 14, 2014, a white pick-up truck southbound on 2nd Street W side-swiped a parked motor vehicle, causing damage to the parked vehicle and failing to stop at the scene. The suspect motor vehicle is suspected to have damage on its passenger side, most likely involving the side mirror.

If you have information on this, or any other crime, contact the Brooks RCMP Detachment at 403-794-4400 or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers.

Couple charged with Grande Prairie online rental scams

Grande Prairie RCMP have charged a male and female in relation to a online scam that resulted in a large number of victims.

In March 2014 Grande Prairie RCMP began to investigate complaints of fraud where victims were being scammed out of substantial amounts of money. The suspects were alleged to be posting an ad on Kijiji, advertising property that was available for rent. The suspects would usually represent themselves as the property manager or the rental agent and then meet with the prospective tenants to fill out and sign a lease/rental agreement. To the victims, everything looked very legitimate. Without seeing the rental, the suspects would convince the person that the property would be rented quickly, pressuring the victims to provide some form of payment to hold the rental. The suspects would ask for a damage deposit by email transfer or cash. Some investigations revealed that the prospective renters would catch on that this was a scam before they paid the rent. Unfortunately, many only realized that they had been scammed after they had paid the first months rent and damage deposit. To reduce suspicion, the suspects would use various names, email addresses and phone numbers.

As a result of the investigation, Grande Prairie RCMP arrested and charged a 34 year old female, Cyndi Kennedy and a 28 year old male, Brandon Franklin Smith, both residents of Grande Prairie. Presently, they have been charged with 28 counts of theft under $5000 and 1 count of theft over $5000. In total, it is believed that the pair is responsible for scamming people out of approximately $36,000.

After a bail hearing, the pair were released on a recognizance and are to make their next court appearance in Grande Prairie Provincial Court on June 20th, 2014. RCMP are attaching a photograph of Kennedy and Smith because police are concerned that the duo might have scammed other people in the community who have yet to come forward. Police are asking that if you were a victim of this scam to please contact the RCMP immediately at 780-830-5701.

Boyle area Enhanced Traffic Enforcement Project

The Boyle Integrated Traffic Unit, with assistance from several other Northeast Integrated Traffic Units, conducted an enhanced traffic enforcement initiative from June 12 to June 15 on Highways 63 and 881.

The purpose of this four-day project was to enforce provincial traffic laws in an attempt to deal with the aggressive driving behaviours and the high driving speeds reported on Highways 63 and 881. The goal of the project was to reduce death and serious injury motor vehicle collision on Alberta roadways.

During the four days, our units conducted high visibility patrols throughout the areas which resulted in close to 500 vehicle stops. Integrated Traffic units issued 423 speeding charges, with nine drivers exceeding 51 kilometres over the posted speed limit, one impaired driver, one Criminal Code charge, one suspended driver, 15 failure to wear seatbelt charges, 11 distracted driving charges, one uninsured motor vehicle charge and 34 other traffic related charges. Additionally, one driver was apprehended on 12 outstanding arrest warrants and remains in custody. Integrated Traffic units will conduct enhanced traffic projects on other Alberta Highways throughout the summer driving season.

Integrated Traffic Units are traffic enforcement units comprised of Alberta Traffic Sheriffs and RCMP Traffic members. These units are situated in 20 locations throughout the province and work to enhance traffic safety through strategic enforcement and education initiatives.

Speeding is one of the top four driving behaviours that is a priority issue for the Alberta Integrated Traffic Units. Reducing overall speed on our highways will have a significant impact on the number and severity of crashes on our highways. Please drive responsibly.

Break and enter at Hairy Hill farmyard

On June 11th, 2014, Two Hills RCMP received a report of a break and enter at a rural property near Hairy Hill, Alberta.

Sometime between 10:00 am, and 2:30 pm, unknown suspects attended the rural address and went through several out buildings on the property. No damage was done to the property, however an unknown amount of fuel was stolen. The vehicle involved is believed to be a pickup truck, still donning winter tires. Several sets of footprints were found on the property, with a unique tread pattern, indicating that a suspect was likely wearing golf shoes during the break and enter. The property was only vacant for a short period of time, so it is possible the suspects had prior knowledge of the property or its residents.

Two Hills RCMP are seeking the public's help with any information related to the break and enter. The public are encouraged to call immediately regarding any suspicious activity, especially in the overnight or early morning hours. If you have any information please contact the Two Hills RCMP Detachment at 780-657-2820 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.tipsubmit.com

Red Deer woman arrested going through vehicles at Kinex Arena

A Red Deer woman is facing charges after being caught in the act of going through vehicles in the parking lot of the Kinex Arena in Red Deer on June 4. At around 10:00 pm that evening, a lacrosse team playing at the arena discovered that keys and wallets were missing from their lockers. Team members immediately went to the parking lot, and caught 22 year old Amber-Rose McCanna going through one of the lacrosse player’s vehicles. The quick-thinking team called 911 then kept McCanna cornered until RCMP arrived on the scene and placed her under arrest.

Amber-Rose Jenelle McCanna of Red Deer has been charged with:

• Criminal Code 355(1)(a) – Possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 X 2
• Criminal Code 334(b) – Theft under $5,000 X 2

McCanna will appear in court on June 17, 2014 at Alberta Provincial Court in Red Deer.