Rimbey RCMP had a busy week, responding to 61 calls for service. Highlights include several break and enters, theft, assault, criminal harassment, uttering death threats, impaired driving and other serious criminal matters.
Reckless Rimbey driver charged
On May 4, at approximately 9:30 p.m., an alert Mountie patrolling Highway 20 north of Rimbey stopped a pickup truck as it was swerving erratically in the lane. The driver, a 64-year-old Rimbey man, was found to be impaired. The accused was subsequently arrested and charged. Your detachment is diligently working hard to reduce the number of dangerous drivers on our roads. If you witness a possible impaired driver, please call 911 immediately, because a drunk driver is an emergency.
Thieves damage oil lease site
Also, during the night of May 4, thieves broke into a building at an oil lease site in Clearwater County. The criminals caused a considerable amount of damage to the inside of the building. Officers attended the scene and gathered evidence that is being analyzed by the RCMP forensic identification unit.
Grass fires
Police assisted the Rimbey Fire Department with numerous grass fires throughout the detachment area. In most cases, the fires were caused by residents using burning barrels in windy conditions or farm tractors overheating. Please exercise caution during these dry conditions and be sure to confirm first that there is no fire ban in place in your respective county before you light the fire.
Truck thieves strike twice
On May 7, between 4 and 8 a.m., thieves entered a farmyard on Secondary Highway 766 near Highway 12. The midnight shopper(s) found a pickup truck with the keys left in the ignition and stole it. The vehicle was later recovered near Leedale Road where it had been abandoned in a farmer’s field.
The next night, thieves stole a white Dodge dually pickup with an expensive horse trailer attached, from a farm near the field the first pickup was recovered in. Police have since recovered the horse trailer on Township Road 422 north of Leedale. However, the Dodge truck has yet to be found. The truck is described as a 2008 Dodge 3500 dually, extended cab with a sticker on the driver’s side window of an Appaloosa horse. The truck had Alberta license plate 76J042.
Have fun, stay safe on May long weekend
Mounties are gearing up for the May long weekend and will be out in full force doing boat and ATV patrols. In addition, Check Stops will be set up throughout the detachment area. Please ensure you have your vehicles, ATVs and boats properly licensed and have all your respective documents ready to produce if an officer requests to see them. If you are planning a trip into the back country, please let a friend or relative know your exact destination and the time you expect to return. Have a safe and fun weekend everyone!
If you have any information regarding this or any other crimes, please call the Rimbey RCMP at (403) 843-2224 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, #8477 on Telus Mobility or *8477 on Rogers AT&T.
Crime Stoppers is a community program that does work. Do your part and call now.