Joanne McQuarrie, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter | [email protected]
From mid-afternoon to the evening hours on Feb. 18, Jasper RCMP were present at the Petro Canada gas station on the west end of town after getting a call about an erratic driver.
At about 3:45 p.m., Jasper RCMP received a 鈥渂e on the look-out for鈥� a Pontiac driving in an erratic manner out of B.C. RCMP鈥檚 jurisdiction near Valemount.
Local RCMP members located the suspect vehicle at the Petro Canada gas station but the driver had fled on foot.
An RCMP Police Dog Service (PDS) was deployed to assist. The RCMP also conducted patrols in an effort to locate the suspect.
While enroute into Jasper, the RCMP PDS officer saw a male matching the description of the suspect hitchhiking along Highway 16. When the male saw the police, the male fled into a wooded area. RCMP PDS, with the help of Jasper RCMP, located the male a distance away in a vehicle.
Further investigation determined that the subject was not involved in the original complaint involving the erratic driver. The male was found to have been on outstanding warrants, in breach of conditions of release and in possession of stolen property.
This 42-year-old male from Calgary is in custody pending a bail hearing and faces a number of charges related to obstruction, breaches and stolen property. Jasper RCMP continue their investigation into this matter.
With the erratic driving complaint, the Jasper RCMP are providing assistance to the B.C. RCMP in their efforts to locate the driver. The vehicle involved in that incident was towed.
No further information is available at this time.
With the disruptions in traffic that resulted from the incident, Jasper RCMP thanked the public for their patience.
