Red Deer RCMP recent arrests include seizures of fentanyl and carfentanil

Lloyd Lewis

Published

7 years ago

9 minute read

February 9, 2018

Red Deer, Alberta – Recent arrests by Red Deer RCMP have involved seizures of fentanyl and carfentanil, property crimes and fraud, and the continued focus on prolific offenders who fail to comply with court-imposed conditions. Many arrests have been thanks to targeted patrols in areas that show high levels of criminal activity, as part of Red Deer’s Pinpoint crime reduction strategy. Pinpoint uses an intelligence-driven policing model to identify problem areas, prolific offenders and emerging issues, and Red Deer RCMP target their enforcement accordingly.

February 5 – 2018157742
At 1:15 am on February 5, RCMP on patrol in downtown Red Deer located a woman who was wanted on outstanding warrants. During her arrest, RCMP seized crystal meth.

44 year old Tamara Dawn Johnson faces the following charges:
· CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule I substance X 2
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions
Johnson is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on February 13 at 8:30 am.

January 31 – 2018139725
At 10:15 pm on January 31, RCMP on patrol in downtown Red Deer located a female suspect who was wanted on a number of outstanding warrants from four separate files. During her arrest, police seized methamphetamine and carfentanil.

In addition to her warrants, 34 year old Tomasina Ballentyne faces the following charges:
· CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule I substance X 2
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions X 2
Ballentyne was remanded to appear in court on February 2; she is scheduled to appear again on February 12 at 9:30 am.

January 31 – 2018135103
Shortly before 2 am on January 31, RCMP on patrol in a high crime area located a suspicious vehicle; as they approached, the male driver fled on foot but was arrested after a brief foot chase. RCMP seized a baggie of fentanyl and approximately $1,700 as proceeds of crime.

40 year old Ryan Michael Simoneau faces a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking (CDSA 5(1)); he is scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on February 20 at 8:30 am.

January 31/ 30 – 2018138969/ 2018134164/ 20171260250
Shortly before 6 pm on January 31, RCMP responded to a report of a theft suspect being pursued by retail security staff after the theft of a backpack from a fitness facility. The suspect fled on foot and was seen getting on a Red Deer Transit bus. RCMP located the bus, executed a traffic stop, and removed the suspect. There was no impact on riders or interruption of transit service as a result of the arrest.

The suspect had been arrested the day before by Red Deer RCMP at a north end restaurant after police responded to a report of a disturbance and determined that the suspect was wanted on outstanding warrants after failing to appear in court on charges related to the theft of client items from a different fitness facility in September.

30 year old William James Webb faces the following charges for both incidents:
· Criminal Code 334(b) – Theft under $5,000 X 2
· Criminal Code 355(b) – Possession of stolen property under $5,000
· Criminal Code 145(5) – Fail to comply with conditions
· Criminal Code 145(2)(a) – Fail to attend court
Webb was scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on February 8 on one charge and on March 23 at 9:30 am for the others. He did not attend court today and the possession of stolen property charge has now gone to warrant status.

January 30 – 20171520442
Red Deer RCMP located and arrested 32 year old Jessie Singh Dodd, who was wanted on warrants after failing to appear in court regarding a November file in which he resisted arrest and was found to be in possession of weapons in violation of his probation. He appeared in court in Red Deer on February 2 and is scheduled to appear again on February 23 at 9:30 am.

January 29 – 2018126031
RCMP on patrol in a high crime area shortly after 1 am on January 29 located a stolen vehicle occupied by a male suspect. RCMP moved into position to surround the vehicle in case of an attempted flight from police, and initiated a traffic stop. The suspect was taken into custody without incident and police seized methamphetamine from him; at the time of his arrest, he was found to be breaching several court-imposed conditions.

51 year old Gordon Edouard Cameron faces the following charges:
· Criminal Code 355(a) – Possession of stolen property over $5,000
· Criminal Code 145(5.1) – Fail to comply with conditions X 2
· CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule I substance
Cameron was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on January 31; his next court appearance is scheduled for February 28 at 9:30 am.

January 25 – 2018108796/ 20171675122
In the early hours of January 25, Red Deer RCMP located two men in a vehicle in a high crime area who were wanted on numerous outstanding warrants; one was found to be breaching several court-imposed conditions at the time of his arrest, including a curfew condition and conditions not to be in a vehicle if he was not the registered owner.

42 year old Kirk Kuske was wanted on six warrants out of Ponoka for possession of stolen property (X 2), evade police, theft, obstruction, and operating a motor vehicle while disqualified. He now faces additional charges of:
· Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions X 2
· Criminal Code 259(4) – Operate motor vehicle while disqualified
Kuske was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on January 26; he is scheduled to appear again on February 13 at 9:30 am.

49 year old Craig Oliver was wanted on eight warrants out of Red Deer for fraud under $5,000 000 (CC 380(1)(b)) after Red Deer RCMP identified him as a suspect in repeated frauds committed at a local grocery store, where he is alleged to have used stolen credit cards to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of product over multiple visits. RCMP identified him after obtaining surveillance images and issued arrest warrants for eight separate incidents of fraud between September and December of 2017.

Craig Oliver made his first court appearance in Red Deer on February 6 and is scheduled to appear again on February 26 at 8:30 am.

January 24 – 201885973
On January 24, Red Deer RCMP located a man who was wanted on a warrant after RCMP conducting curfew checks on January 20 determined that he was violating his court-imposed curfew. Red Deer RCMP conduct curfew checks on identified individuals as part of Pinpoint, the Red Deer RCMP crime reduction strategy that targets prolific offenders, crime hot spots and problem residences.

28 year old Brandon William Wallner faces a charge of failing to comply with conditions and was remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on January 30; his next court appearance is scheduled for February 13 at 8:30 am.

January 24 – 2018106290
At 1:30 pm on January 24, RCMP responded to a report of shoplifters in a downtown store. RCMP attended and retrieved surveillance images of the male and female suspects, then located them nearby in the downtown. The female suspect was in possession of the stolen items at the time of her arrest.

23 year old Lateesha Flodell was wanted on three outstanding warrants out of Lacombe at the time of her arrest; she was charged with an additional charge of theft under $5,000 and was scheduled to appear in court in Red Deer on February 2. Flodell did not appear in court and those charges have now gone to warrant status.

Lloyd Lewis

www.todayville.com

President Todayville Inc., Honorary Colonel 41 Signal Regiment, Board Member Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Award Foundation, Director Canadian Forces Liaison Council (Alberta) musician, photographer, former VP/GM CTV Edmonton.

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Crime

Biden’s ‘preemptive pardons’ would set ‘dangerous’ precedent, constitutional scholar warns

Published on December 19, 2024

Todayville

From LifeSiteNews

By Bob Unruh

Constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley warned that preemptive pardons ‘would do precisely what Biden suggests that he is deterring: create a dangerous immunity for presidents and their allies in committing criminal abuses.’

An expert who not only has testified before Congress on the U.S. Constitution but has represented members in court cases is warning about Joe Biden’s speculated agenda to deliver to his friend and supporters preemptive pardons.

It is Jonathan Turley, the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University and author of The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage, who wrote, “After years of lying to the American people about the influence-peddling scandal and promising not to consider a pardon for his son, Biden would end his legacy with the ultimate dishonesty: converting pardons into virtual party favors.”

There has been much speculation about those preemptive pardons from Biden, who lied about allowing juries and courts to determine the outcomes of son Hunter’s criminal gun and tax cases, flip-flopped and pardoned him.

Hunter Biden could have been ordered to jail for years for his felony gun convictions and his guilty pleas to felony tax charges.

However, Joe Biden handed him a get-out-of-jail free card, then followed up with hundreds and hundreds more commutations and pardons to a long list of those with criminal convictions.

The activity triggered a rash of speculation about those preemptive pardons, and Turley explains what’s going on.

“Democrats are worried about the collapsing narrative that President-elect Donald Trump will destroy democracy, end future elections, and conduct sweeping arrests of everyone from journalists to homosexuals. That narrative, of course, ignores that we have a constitutional system of overlapping protections that has blocked such abuses for over two centuries.”

Thus, the talk of preemptive pardons, but Turley said it wouldn’t work out.

“Ironically, preemptive pardons would do precisely what Biden suggests that he is deterring: create a dangerous immunity for presidents and their allies in committing criminal abuses,” he said.

He noted if Biden delivers those pardons, “he would fundamentally change the use of presidential pardons by granting ‘prospective’ or ‘preemptive’ pardons to political allies. Despite repeated denials of President-elect Donald Trump that he is seeking retaliation against opponents and his statements that he wants ‘success [to be] my revenge,’ Democratic politicians and pundits have called for up to thousands of such pardons.”

He explained there’s politics all over the scheme.

“After many liberals predicted the imminent collapse of democracy and that opponents would be rounded up in mass by the Trump Administration, they are now contemplating the nightmare that democracy might survive and that there will be no mass arrests,” he wrote. “The next best thing to a convenient collapse of democracy is a claim that Biden’s series of preemptive pardons averted it. It is enough to preserve the narrative in the face of a stable constitutional system.”

But there will be a cost to such a “political stunt,” he said.

“Preemptive pardons could become the norm as presidents pardon whole categories of allies and even themselves to foreclose federal prosecutions. … It will give presidents cover to wipe away any threat of prosecution for friends, donors, and associates. This can include self-pardons issued as implied condemnations of their political opponents. It could easily become the final act of every president to pardon himself and all of the members of his Administration.

“We would then have an effective immunity rule for outgoing parties in American politics.”

He noted that in the past, Bill Clinton pardoned both family members and political donors.

“Yet, despite that history, no president has seen fit to go as far as where Biden appears to be heading,” he said. Promoters of the plan, he said, “would prefer to fundamentally change the use of the pardon power to maintain an apocalyptic narrative that was clearly rejected by the public in this election. If you cannot prove the existence of the widely touted Trump enemies list, a Biden pardon list is the next best thing.”

Reprinted with permission from the WND News Center.

Alberta

B.C. traveller arrested for drug exportation during Calgary layover

Published on December 16, 2024

Todayville

From the Alberta RCMP

B.C. traveller arrested for drug exportation during Calgary layover

Calgary – On Nov. 17, 2024, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers at the Calgary International Airport were conducting outbound exams when they intercepted luggage from a commercial flight destined for the United Kingdom. During the exam, officers found and seized 12 kg of pressed cocaine and a tracking device. The owner of the bag was subsequently arrested by CBSA prior to boarding a flight to Heathrow Airport.

The Integrated Border Enforcement Team in Alberta, a joint force operation between the RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region, CBSA and Calgary Police Service, was notified and a criminal investigation was initiated into the traveller and the seized drugs.

Justin Harry Carl Beck, 29, a resident of Port Coquitlam, B.C., was arrested and charged with:

Exportation of a controlled substance contrary to section 6(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act;
Possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking contrary to section 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Beck is scheduled to appear at the Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary on May 6, 2025.

“This seizure is a testament to the exemplary work and investigative expertise shown by CBSA Border Services Officers at Calgary International Airport. Through our key partnerships with the RCMP and the Calgary Police Service, the CBSA works to disrupt those attempting to smuggle illegal drugs across our borders and hold them accountable.”

Janalee Bell-Boychuk, Regional Director General, Prairie Region, Canada Border Services Agency

“The RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region’s top priority has always been, and will continue to be, public safety. This investigation serves as an important reminder that this extends beyond any border. By working together, we prevented this individual from importing an illicit substance into a foreign country where it had the potential to cause significant harm to others, all for the sake of turning a profit.”

Supt. Sean Boser, Officer in Charge of Federal Serious Organized Crime and Border Integrity – Alberta, RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region

“This investigation underscores the importance of collaboration in drug trafficking investigations. Our partnerships with law enforcement agencies across the country, and internationally, are vital to addressing crimes that cross multiple borders. By intercepting these drugs before they could reach their destination, we have ensured a safer community, both locally and abroad.”

Supt. Jeff Bell, Criminal Operations & Intelligence Division, Calgary Police Service

IBET’s mandate is to enhance border integrity and security along the shared border, between designated ports of entry, by identifying, investigating and interdicting persons, organizations and goods that are involved in criminal activities.