Mounties have laid criminal charges against an Innisfail-area fugitive and his alleged accomplice, who is now in custody, in connection to the June 5 attempted robbery at Kelly's Campground.
Twenty-year-old Dillon Bristow, of the Innisfail area – who as of press time is still on the run, is facing charges of robbery with a firearm, possession of property obtained by crime, possession of a firearm, trafficking cocaine, disguised with intent to commit an offence, using a firearm in the commission of an offence, and failing to comply with a probation order.
“He is somewhere in the area,” said Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk, adding police are cautioning the public not to approach Bristow as he is believed to be armed and dangerous. “He is relatively new to the area. He is an individual who is known to the police. We have laid charges and have a warrant for his arrest.”
In the meantime, Bristow's alleged accomplice, 33-year-old Michael Holt of Red Deer, was arrested in Bowden on June 6 without incident and charged the following day with possession of property obtained by crime, possession of cocaine, failing to comply with conditions of an undertaking and failing to comply with a probation order.
Holt has been remanded into custody with his next court appearance scheduled today in Red Deer for election and plea.
On June 5, Innisfail RCMP received a call shortly after 7:30 p.m. about an attempted robbery and gunfire at Kelly's Campground, located 25 kilometres west of Innisfail.
Mounties were told by witnesses at the campground, which is managed by the Innisfail Fish and Game Association, that two men drove into the campground with a yellow truck with black stripes and came “barrelling down the hill” into the campground at high speed and broke through the corded gate.
RCMP learned the vehicle stopped at an RV site with one of the occupants getting out and demanding a vehicle from one of the campers. When the camper refused, one of the men took out his handgun and fired a shot into the ground near the camper. The suspect then jumped back into the truck and he and his accomplice fled the campground in the same vehicle.
The following morning the RCMP issued a press release stating two “armed and dangerous” men were being pursued by Mounties by members from eight RCMP detachments, along with the RCMP Air Services Helicopter, Red Deer Forensic Identification Section and the police force's police dog service.
The vehicle used by the suspects, stolen from a rural location near Pine Lake, was located in Bowden shortly after the attempted campground robbery.
At about 11:30 a.m. on June 6 Mounties captured one of the suspects without incident at the Bowden Rest Stop.
RCMP did not immediately identify or lay charges against the suspect in connection to the attempted campground robbery but did say he was being charged with unrelated offences of possession of stolen property and cocaine.
If anyone has information on the campground incident he or she is asked to contact the Innisfail RCMP Detachment at (403) 227-3342 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or online at www.tipsubmit.com.
