Crime
Red Deer RCMP arrest numerous prolific offenders in targeted crime hot spots
Red Deer, Alberta – Recent arrests of note by Red Deer RCMP include a number of habitual offenders identified through Pinpoint, the Red Deer RCMP crime reduction strategy; more arrests took place in areas RCMP have identified as crime hot spots and locations where the public have reported active criminal behaviour. RCMP seized significant amounts of drugs, several firearms and a replica firearm during these arrests.
November 25
Shortly before 4 pm on November 25, RCMP on patrol in an area known to be active regarding stolen vehicles conducted a traffic stop and located several larger bags of methamphetamine along with a number of individually packaged smaller bags consistent with drug trafficking. RCMP seized the methamphetamine and more than $1,000 in cash as proceeds of crime.
19 year old Mackenzie Rae Bannister faces the following charges:
· CDSA 5(2) – Possession for the purpose of trafficking X 2
Bannister was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on November 27 and will appear in court again at 9:30 am.
29 year old Robert Sean Bishop faces the following charges:
· CDSA 5(2) – Possession for the purpose of trafficking X 2
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions
Bishop was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on November 27 and will appear in court again at 9:30 am.
November 25
Shortly after 3:30 pm on November 25, RCMP on patrol in a known crime hot spot located a stolen truck parked at an address that police have flagged for criminal activity through the Red Deer crime reduction strategy, Pinpoint. RCMP arrested the driver without incident and seized a rifle, a shotgun and ammunition. The suspect was wanted on numerous outstanding warrants out of Red Deer at the time of his arrest.
In addition to his outstanding warrants, 33 year old Trevor James Gatzke faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 86(1) – Unsafe storage of firearms
· Criminal Code 91(1) – Unauthorized possession of firearm
· Criminal Code 91(2) – Unauthorized possession of weapon
· Criminal Code 92(2) – Unauthorized possession of weapon while knowing possession was unauthorized
· Criminal Code 94(1) – Possession of firearm/ ammunition in vehicle X 2
· Criminal Code 355(a) – Possession of stolen property over $5,000
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions X 3
· TSA 53(1)(b) – improper license plate on vehicle
· TSA 54(1)(a) – Drive without insurance
Gatzke was remanded for court in Red Deer on November 28 and will appear in court again on December 14 at 9:30 am.
November 25
Shortly before 7 am on November 25, RCMP responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked on Metcalf Avenue. RCMP confirmed the vehicle had been stolen out of Red Deer and arrested the occupant without incident. During the arrest, RCMP seized an open bottle of liquor and a pellet gun that the suspect was prohibited by the courts from possessing.
30 year old Cody Alan Feil faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 88(1) – Possession of weapon for dangerous purpose
· Criminal Code 117.01(1) – Weapons possession contrary to order
· Criminal Code 355(b) – Possession of stolen property under $5,000 X 2
Feil also faced a number of traffic and GLA charges that have been dealt with; he is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on the criminal charges on November 28 at 9:30 am.
November 20
Shortly after 11 pm on November 20, RCMP on patrol in downtown Red Deer located two prolific male offenders who are well known to police in a stolen truck. During the arrest, RCMP seized cocaine and methamphetamine. The truck had been reported stolen out of Red Deer County in the early morning of November 20.
A 30 year old man faces the following charges:
· CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule I substance X 2
· Criminal Code 355(a) – Possession of stolen property over $5,000 X 2
A 48 year old man faces the following charges:
· CDSA 5(2) – Possession of Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking X 2
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions
Their names cannot be released at this time as the charges against them have not yet been sworn before the courts; both accused are scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer at 9:30 am on January 12, 2018.
November 20
On November 20 at 3 pm, Red Deer RCMP located a stolen Dodge Ram at a storage unit in the Kentwood neighbourhood and arrested the driver without incident. The suspect was wanted on a number of outstanding warrants at the time of his arrest. The truck had been reported stolen out of Rimbey when it was left unlocked and running.
40 year old Michael Langille faces a charge of possession of stolen property over $5,000, in addition to his warrants. He was remanded to appear in court on November 22 and is scheduled to appear again on December 6 at 9:30 am.
November 19
At 4:30 pm on November 19, RCMP responded to a report of a stolen SUV parked in a south Red Deer parking lot. On arrival, RCMP arrested a man and a woman without incident; the woman was in possession of stolen property from a store in the area at the time of her arrest. The SUV had been reported stolen out of Red Deer on November 8 after it was left with spare keys inside it. A 43 year old man and a 41 year old woman will face charges of possession of stolen property; their names cannot be released at this time as those charges have not yet been sworn before the courts.
November 18
At approximately 11:30 pm on November 18, RCMP responded to a report of a personal robbery after a man walking home through downtown Red Deer was approached by two men who assaulted him and attempted to rob him. The victim suffered minor bruising in the assault and was able to get away from the suspects. RCMP did not locate the suspects that night during patrols but identified a suspect during the course of the investigation and arrested him on November 24. At the time of his arrest, the suspect was wanted on an outstanding warrant and was found to be in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine. RCMP continue to search for the second suspect.
48 year old Bryan Wally Kersch faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 463/344(b) – Attempted robbery
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions X 3
· CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule I substance
Kersch is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on December 6 at 9:30 am.
November 18
Shortly before 7:30 pm on November 18, RCMP attended a south Red Deer business in response to a report of shoplifters in custody. The suspects gave RCMP officers false names but police quickly determined their identities and found they were both wanted on numerous outstanding warrants.
33 year old Melissa Caylene White and 38 year old Travis Dwight Lindsey each faced a new charge of obstructing a peace officer (CC 129(a)) as well as their outstanding warrants. White appeared in court in Red Deer on November 20 and has since had her charges dealt with. Lindsey appeared in court in Red Deer on November 21 and is scheduled to appear again on December 5 at 9:30.
November 18
Shortly before 4 pm on November 18, Red Deer RCMP responded to a report of a stolen car that was parked in a parking lot in the Bower neighbourhood. RCMP attended and arrested the two occupants without incident. The car had been reported stolen out of Red Deer on November 15 after it was left with spare keys inside it.
47 year old Joel David Bremner faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 355(b) – Possession of stolen property under $5,000
· Criminal Code 351(1) – Possession of break-in instruments
Bremner was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on November 20 and is scheduled to appear again on November 28 at 9:30 am.
25 year old Christopher Evan Keizer faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 355(b) – Possession of stolen property under $5,000
· Criminal Code 351(1) – Possession of break-in instruments
· Criminal Code 733.1(1) – Fail to comply with probation
· TSA 52(1)(a) – Drive without registration
· TSA 54(1)(a) – Drive without insurance
Keizer was scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on November 22 at 9:30 am. He failed to appear and his charges have now gone to warrant status, along with an additional charge of failing to appear in court.
November 18
Shortly before 2 pm on November 18, Red Deer RCMP were patrolling an identified crime hot spot when they located a stolen SUV being driven by a male suspect. RCMP initiated a traffic stop and followed the SUV for some distance until it was clear the SUV was refusing to stop for police. For public safety reasons, RCMP turned off their lights and slowed down to indicate they would not pursue the suspect vehicle, which fled nonetheless and ran a red light at the intersection of Gaetz Avenue and 55 Street. Several civilian vehicles were able to avoid hitting the stolen SUV but one vehicle struck it. The stolen SUV spun and hit a traffic light then collided with another vehicle, pushing that vehicle into the vehicle behind it. RCMP arrested the driver of the stolen SUV and seized a small amount of methamphetamine from the suspect. City of Red Deer emergency services staff attended and ensured that none of the victims had been injured in the three collisions. The driver of the stolen SUV sustained minor injuries and was treated at hospital then released to police custody. The SUV had been reported stolen out of Red Deer on November 13 after it was left unattended with keys in it.
39 year old Simon John Pelletier was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on November 24 and has since been found guilty of the following charges:
· Criminal Code 249.1(1) – Flight from police
· Criminal Code 355(a) – Possession of stolen property over $5,000
· CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule I substance (methamphetamine)
November 18
Shortly after 5 am on November 18, RCMP on patrol in north Red Deer located a truck that had been reported stolen out of Red Deer late the night before. The truck was stopped at the side of the road as it had run out of gas. RCMP arrested the male driver and a female passenger without incident.
29 year old Jesse Joseph Cecka faces one charge of possession of stolen property over $5,000 (CC 355(a)). He appeared in court in Red Deer on November 20 and is scheduled to appear again on December 12 at 9:30 am.
22 year old Julianna Marie Hinz faces one charge of possession of stolen property over $5,000 (CC 355(a)). She is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on December 8 at 8:30 am.
November 17
Shortly after 4 pm on November 17, RCMP on patrol in an area known to be active regarding stolen vehicles located a stolen car with a license plate that had been stolen separate from the car. RCMP tracked the movement of the car from a distance until it had parked, then boxed it in and arrested the female driver without incident. The car had been reported stolen out of Red Deer on October 25 when it was left running and unattended, and the license plate had been reported stolen out of Innisfail on October 26.
A 28 year old woman faces charges of possession of stolen property over $5,000, possession of stolen property under $5,000 and a number of traffic tickets. Her name cannot be released at this time as the charges have not yet been sworn before the courts. She is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on December 13.
November 17
At 1 pm on November 17, RCMP on patrol in an area known to be active regarding stolen vehicles located a stolen car with two occupants. RCMP executed a high risk traffic stop and took the occupants into custody.
20 year old Savannah Lee Korth faces a charge of possession of stolen property (CC 354) and is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on December 4 at 8:30 am.
November 16
At 7:30 pm on November 16, RCMP responded to a report of a break-in in progress at a locked industrial compound on Golden West Avenue. RCMP attended immediately and located the suspect as he was leaving the area after being caught on camera breaking into a holiday trailer in the compound; at the time of his arrest, the suspect was found to be in breach of a number of court-ordered conditions, including a curfew.
35 year old Robert James Martin faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 348(1)(e) – Break and enter
· Criminal Code 430(4) – Mischief under $5,000
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions X 3
Martin was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on November 21 and is scheduled to appear in court again on December 7 at 9:30 am.
– 30 –
From LifeSiteNews
Andrew Bridgen says UK security agencies ignored detailed information about child trafficking, including names of people involved and where the children were being taken.
A former UK Member of Parliament says the top security agencies of Britain, including the police and MI5, are refusing to act on detailed information they’ve been given about child trafficking into the country.
Andrew Bridgen, who served as a popular Conservative MP for North West Leicestershire from 2010 until 2024, told Infowars founder Alex Jones in a Friday interview how he had raised concerns while in Parliament about “a number of individuals” who were evidently pedophiles.
“It was always passed to the police, to the National Crime Agency, and it involves senior politicians, very senior police officers, and nothing was ever done about it,” Bridgen told Jones.
He had explained that early in his career he had seen London police quash an investigation into child prostitution — and so this appeared to be a repeating pattern of cover-up of child sex crimes.
A former policeman named Jon Wedger had discovered that “children were being taken from children’s homes in the UK and prostituted on the weekend,” and were returning “under the influence of drugs and often with terrible venereal diseases, and the people at the homes were doing nothing about it.”
Upon further investigation, Wedger “wrote a report he sent to his superiors pointing out that child prostitution in London had not been investigated for decades.” However, instead of attempting to protect the children and stop the abuse, the police “threatened” Wedger, told him to retract the report, and fired him from the police force “on false pretenses,” according to Bridgen.
Later, Bridgen met a man who conducted a two-year investigation into sex abuse by pedophile and deceased Prime Minister Edward Heath. The police concluded that, were Heath alive, “he would have been arrested and charged with pedophilia.”
“If a former MP could have been a pedophile and it was covered up, then anything is possible,” Bridgen remarked.
He then told how last year a source approached him with “information about child trafficking into the UK,” including “detailed names of people involved on the ground; where the children were being brought in; where they were being taken; where their photographs were being taken; and the name of the company that was instrumental in laundering the money” used to buy these children.
The source had brought this information to the police, to the counter-intelligence agency MI5, and to the National Crime Agency, and “nothing was done” by any of these groups. Not only did they fail to act on the information, but “mysteriously, within two days of dropping the file with the National Crime Agency,” the source’s LinkedIn profile was “visited and investigated by someone who worked at the company who was named in the file.”
“Meaning they were tipped off,” Jones noted.
Bridgen told how the source had recorded all of his phone calls with MI5, the police force, and the National Crime Agency, and when they failed to act, Bridgen “sent a file with all the information to senior politicians.”
“Eventually, all I got back was, ‘Take it to the police.’ I pointed out this had already been to the police, and it had been to MI5. There actually was an MI5 officer who had been very sympathetic and realized how important this evidence was. And he tried to push it. He was removed from the service. That’s how deep the corruption runs.”
In a June 2024 interview on the Resistance Podcast, Bridgen elaborated, “And then when you see the names, you see why. They are known names.”
He shared further horrifying details about the final end of the children who are trafficked and abused.
“They use them in the sex trade for about three years and then when they’re worn out they organ harvest them,” Bridgen shared.
“No one’s interested. No one wants to talk about it. No one wants to talk about a lot of things.”
Bridgen believes this demand for child trafficking is an explanation for the drive to continue wars around the world, including the war in Ukraine, because the conflicts present “a huge opportunity for child trafficking.”
Jones pointed out it was publicly admitted that decades ago, sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein entered war zones in Kosovo and Serbia and bought “nine- and 10-year-old girls” in order to sell them into sex slavery in the U.S. The father of Epstein’s girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was one of the main directors of the “blackmail pedophile operations” of “MI6 and Mossad,” according to Jones.
“Ultimately, I think it’s the glue that holds the self-proclaimed elites around the world together, because once they’re involved in pedophilia or profiting from child trafficking, it’s the ultimate blackmail,” Bridgen said. “There’s no way out of the club for them. They all have to go down together.”
Safe needle disposal box at Deverill Square Gyro 2 Park in Nanaimo, B.C., Sept. 5, 2024. [Photo credit: Alexandra Keeler]
By Alexandra Keeler
Some politicians, police and community groups argue involuntary care is key to addressing severe addiction and mental health issues
The brutal stabbing last month of a 58-year-old city employee in Nanaimo, B.C., made national headlines. The man was stabbed multiple times with a syringe after he asked two men who were using drugs in a public park washroom to leave.
The worker sustained multiple injuries to his face and abdomen and was hospitalized. As of Jan. 7, the RCMP were still investigating the suspects.
The incident comes on the heels of other violent attacks in the province that have been linked to mental health and substance use disorders.
On Dec. 4, Vancouver police fatally shot a man armed with a knife inside a 7-Eleven after he attacked two staff members while attempting to steal cigarettes. Earlier that day, the man had allegedly stolen alcohol from a nearby restaurant.
Three months earlier, on Sept. 4, a 34-year-old man with a history of assault and mental health problems randomly attacked two men in downtown Vancouver, leaving one dead and another with a severed hand.
These incidents have sparked growing calls from politicians, police and residents for governments to expand involuntary care and strengthen health-care interventions and law enforcement strategies.
“What is Premier Eby, the provincial and federal government going to do?” the volunteer community group Nanaimo Area Public Safety Association said in a Dec. 11 public statement.
“British Columbians are well past being fed-up with lip-service.”
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‘Extremely complex needs’
On Jan. 5, B.C.’s newly reelected premier, David Eby, announced the province will open two involuntary care sites this spring. One will be located at the Surrey Pretrial Centre in Surrey, and the other at the Alouette Correctional Facility in Maple Ridge, a city northeast of Vancouver.
Eby said his aim is to address the cases of severe addiction, brain injury and mental illness that have contributed to violent incidents and public safety concerns.
Involuntary care allows authorities to mandate treatment for individuals with severe mental health or substance use disorders without their consent.
Amy Rosa, a BC Ministry of Health public affairs officer, confirmed to Canadian Affairs that the NDP government remains committed to expanding both voluntary and involuntary care as a solution to the rise in violent attacks.
“We’re grappling with a growing group of people with extremely complex needs — people with severe mental health and addictions issues, coupled with brain injuries from repeated overdoses,” Rosa said.
As part of its commitment to expanding involuntary care, the province plans to establish more secure facilities and mental health units within correctional centres and create 400 new mental health beds.
In response to follow-up questions, Rosa told Canadian Affairs that the province plans to introduce legal changes in the next legislative session “to provide clarity and ensure that people can receive care when they are unable to seek it themselves.” She noted these changes will be made in consultation with First Nations to ensure culturally safe treatment programs.
“The care provided at these facilities will be dignified, safe and respectful,” she said.
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Maffeo Sutton Park, where on Dec. 10, 2024, a Nanaimo city worker was stabbed multiple times with a syringe; Sept. 1, 2024. [Photo credit: Alexandra Keeler]
‘Health-led approach’
Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog says involuntary care is necessary to prevent violent incidents such as the syringe stabbing in the city’s park.
“Without secure involuntary care, supportive housing, and a full continuum of care from detox to housing, treatment and follow-up, little will change,” he said.
Elenore Sturko, BC Conservative MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale, agrees that early intervention for mental health and substance use disorders is important. She supports laws that facilitate interventions outside of the criminal justice system.
“Psychosis and brain damage are things that need to be diagnosed by medical professionals,” said Sturko, who served as an officer in the RCMP for 13 years.
Sturko says although these diagnoses need to be given by medical professionals, first responders are trained to recognize signs.
“Police can be trained, and first responders are trained, to recognize the signs of those conditions. But whether or not these are regular parts of the assessment that are given to people who are arrested, I actually do not know that,” she said.
Staff Sergeant Kris Clark, a RCMP media relations officer, told Canadian Affairs in an emailed statement that officers receive crisis intervention and de-escalation training but are not mental health professionals.
“All police officers in BC are mandated to undergo crisis intervention and de-escalation training and must recertify every three years,” he said. Additional online courses help officers recognize signs of “mental, emotional or psychological crisis, as well as other altered states of consciousness,” he said.
“It’s important to understand however that police officers are not medical/mental health professionals.”
Clark also referred Canadian Affairs to the BC Association of Chiefs of Police’s Nov. 28 statement. The statement says the association has changed its stance on decriminalization, which refers to policies that remove criminal penalties for illicit drug use.
“Based on evidence and ongoing evaluation, we no longer view decriminalization as a primary mechanism for addressing the systemic challenges associated with substance use,” says the statement. The association represents senior police leaders across the province.
Instead, the association is calling for greater investment in health services, enhanced programs to redirect individuals from the justice system to treatment services, and collaboration with government and community partners.
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Vancouver Coastal Health’s Pender Community Health Centre in East Hastings, Vancouver, B.C., Aug. 31, 2024. [Photo credit: Alexandra Keeler]
‘Life or limb’
Police services are not the only agencies grappling with mental health and substance use disorders.
The City of Vancouver told Canadian Affairs it has expanded programs like the Indigenous Crisis Response Team, which offers non-police crisis services for Indigenous adults, and Car 87/88, which pairs a police officer with a psychiatric nurse to respond to mental health crises.
Vancouver Coastal Health, the city’s health authority, adjusted its hiring plan in 2023 to recruit 55 mental health workers, up from 35. And the city has funded 175 new officers in the Vancouver Police Department, a seven per cent increase in the force’s size.
The city has also indicated it supports involuntary care.
In September, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim was one of 11 B.C. mayors who issued a statement calling on the federal government to provide legal and financial support for provinces to implement involuntary care.
On Oct. 10, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre said a Conservative government would support mandatory involuntary treatment for minors and prisoners deemed incapable of making decisions.
The following day, Federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Ya’ara Saks said in a news conference that provinces must first ensure they have adequate addiction and mental health services in place before discussions about involuntary care can proceed.
“Before we contemplate voluntary or involuntary treatment, I would like to see provinces and territories ensuring that they actually have treatment access scaled to need,” she said.
Some health-care providers have also expressed reservations about involuntary care.
In September, the Canadian Mental Health Association, a national organization that advocates for mental health awareness, issued a news release expressing concerns about involuntary care.
The association highlighted gaps in the current involuntary care system, including challenges in accessing voluntary care, reports of inadequate treatment for those undergoing involuntary care and an increased risk of death from drug poisoning upon release.
“Involuntary care must be a last resort, not a sweeping solution,” its release says.
“We must focus on prevention and early intervention, addressing the root causes of mental health and addiction crises before they escalate into violent incidents.”
Sturko agrees with focusing on early intervention, but emphasized the need for such interventions to be timely.
“We should not have to wait for someone to commit a criminal act in order for them to have court-imposed interventions … We need to be able to act before somebody loses their life or limb.”
This article was produced through the Breaking Needles Fellowship Program, which provided a grant to Canadian Affairs, a digital media outlet, to fund journalism exploring addiction and crime in Canada. Articles produced through the Fellowship are co-published by Break The Needle and Canadian Affairs.
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