After getting more than a half-dozen complaints just after 5 p.m. Oct. 28 about a northbound Ford F350 driving erratically from Airdire, an RCMP constable stopped a 39-year-old female at Gasoline Alley.
Innisfail Integrated Traffic Unit officers immediately arrested the lady of no fixed address for dangerous driving and began an investigation that would reveal the truck had been stolen.
They also discovered an accidental passenger, a mid-sized brown dog, unintentionally along for the ride.
“He was hunkered down in the back of the truck,” said Const. Steve Molnar, noting the dog was OK but acted timid. “A dog that's been through a wild ride like that from Airdrie to Red Deer would definitely be a little skittish.”
The driver was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, impaired operation of a motor vehicle, impaired operation of a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol level over .08, driving while disqualified and possession of stolen property over $5,000.
They also contacted the Airdrie-area truck owner, who had been looking for his property but hadn't yet reported either the missing canine or truck to police.
“Yeah, I'm missing the dog with the truck as well,” he said.
Cpl. Al Nickolson said while some incidents involving road rage and dangerous driving can be a challenge for police to respond to, in this instance the high volume of calls from the public allowed police to get in position to make the arrest.
“In this case you've got one person driving poorly with a number of calls coming in,” he said. “It allows us to send out more resources.”
Later on that night, Molnar clocked a vehicle racing north at 179 km/h with his laser.
“It's after midnight, it's pitch black, and you've got the blowing snow,” he said. “The general flow of traffic was reduced.”
When police attempted to get the car to pull over the driver fled. They decided not to pursue the vehicle due to public safety concerns. The driver has been identified as a 29-year-old female from Innisfail.
On Oct. 27 at about 9 p.m. a man charged in a fatal hit-and-run collision in June near Beiseker was stopped on the QE II just north of Bowden for breaching his bail conditions. Calgary resident Lloyd Louis Gerard received two charges of failing to comply with a recognizance. He was scheduled to appear in Red Deer provincial court Oct 29.
