INNISFAIL - An Innisfail man is facing numerous Criminal Code charges following a complex investigation by Ponoka RCMP.
Police said they received a report shortly before 7:30 a.m. on March 16, that there was a two-vehicle collision near Crestomere where one truck was attempting to pull another truck out of the ditch.
RCMP said a series of events followed and with the assistance of the Ponoka Integrated Traffic Unit, the Rimbey, Maskwacis and Wetaskiwin RCMP detachments, as well as other specialized RCMP units, three men were initially arrested and 12 different investigations were ultimately cleared.
The day before Red Deer RCMP received a report of a stolen Ford F-350 and an investigation was launched.
On March 16, Ponoka RCMP responded to a complaint that a Dodge truck was stolen from the county office, as well as a Chevrolet truck from an adjacent property.
Prior to RCMP arrival, the Dodge truck, towing a trailer with two quads, was freed from the ditch and departed. The vehicle was identified as the Ford F-350 stolen from Red Deer. In the meantime a Chevrolet truck was abandoned at the collision scene.
RCMP said that after a short time the Dodge truck again became stuck in a ditch and when RCMP members arrived the occupants fled in the stolen Ford F-350 and abandoned the Dodge truck.
Police later located the Ford F-350 and took three male suspects into custody without any incident.
The Ford F-350 was found to be full of stolen property, said RCMP. The recovered trailer and quad were stolen. As well, RCMP said the stolen Chevrolet truck abandoned at the initial collision was loaded with stolen property.
Police said the majority of the stolen property and vehicles have been returned to their owners. The RCMP retrieved a hidden shotgun, which was stolen from a shop in Sylvan Lake.
William Wilkie, 46, of Innisfail and 51-year-old William Gladue of Red Deer, face a total of 88 charges between the two of them. .
The third man initially arrested by RCMP was released after police determined he was not involved in any crimes and was a victim of identity theft. The RCMP has issued a warrant for the correct third suspect.
RCMP said as a result of the arrests 12 area investigations have been resolved, including complaints from Ponoka, Sylvan Lake, Red Deer, Rocky Mountain House, Innisfail and Blackfalds detachments.
