Submitted and
Review staff
On June 11, Jeramie Bissonnette appeared in Red Deer Provincial court to be sentenced on 52 Criminal Code charges which include Break and Enter, Theft of Motor Vehicles, Flight from Police and Dangerous Driving.
The charges stem from an investigation started in February of 2008.
All the charges are from incidents occurring from May 2007 to February 2008 where several Ford F350s were stolen and then used in break and enters in many places throughout Central Alberta.
Bissonnette was sentenced to 10 years in jail. He was given credit for some time served which reduced his sentence to eight years and four months.
An extensive investigation involving members of Red Deer City, Red Deer Rural, Sylvan Lake, Rimbey and Ponoka detachments of the RCMP resulted in the arrest of the 47-year-old Bissonnette in relation to the above charges including hazardous pursuits involving speeds of over 160 kilometres per hour through city streets.
The assault charge pertains to an incident which occurred on Feb. 17, in and around Rimbey. An RCMP officer was investigating a suspected stolen vehicle which he located in town, when the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed.
The officer followed the vehicle with emergency equipment activated, but the driver would not stop. Police continued to pursue the vehicle at a very high rate of speed. At one point, the vehicle stopped suddenly, reversed direction and rammed the police vehicle several times, driving over it and onto its roof, disabling it and injuring the RCMP officer. It then fled the scene. The RCMP member suffered minor injuries and returned to work shortly after.
On Feb. 20 Red Deer City RCMP officers again encountered Bissonnette driving another vehicle which had been reported stolen. An attempt to stop the vehicle using emergency equipment was unsuccessful, as the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed. RCMP briefly engaged the vehicle in a pursuit within the city which reached speeds of up to 140 kilometres per hour. Police chose to discontinue the pursuit in order to ensure the public was not unnecessarily placed at risk. Again the driver was able to evade apprehension.
On Feb. 21 Red Deer City RCMP were able to determine that Bissonnette was at a relative’s residence in Red Deer. They attended that address and although the suspect attempted to flee on foot, he was subsequently arrested and taken into custody. Bissonnette appeared in court on Feb. 22 and was remanded in custody to Feb. 25.