INNISFAIL – Local Mounties have arrested one man and are searching for another following a police pursuit of stolen vehicle suspects found inside Westwood Court Mobile Home Park.
The incident underscored the rising number of stolen vehicles, not only in Innisfail, but also throughout every police jurisdiction in Alberta. RCMP officials say they have dealt with 1,420 stolen vehicle cases throughout the province since Oct. 1. Locally, Innisfail RCMP Sgt. Lori Eiler said 38 vehicles were reported stolen from Oct 1. to Nov. 15.
Mounties at K Division headquarters said many of these cases involved unoccupied idling vehicles with keys left unattended.
And that was the issue in Innisfail on the morning of Nov. 7 when local RCMP received a call from a victim who reported he had left his truck running in front of his house on 37th Street and when he returned it was gone.
Eiler said the vehicle was equipped with a GPS tracker and the victim was able to assist police in locating the truck at the Westwood Court trailer park.
When Mounties arrived at the mobile home park a male passenger exited the truck and fled on foot. Eiler said a foot pursuit was initiated and the suspect was eventually apprehended without further incident.
At the same time the driver sped away from the scene.
“It fled from the trailer park and there was no way out because we surrounded it,” said Eiler. She added the suspect driver drove the stolen vehicle through a fence and out of the trailer park.
Eiler said RCMP attempted to track the vehicle but the erratic driving of the truck posed a risk to the public and the pursuit was terminated.
She said the stolen truck was eventually abandoned southwest of Innisfail in a rural area near Markerville and another truck was stolen from the same location.
The apprehended fleeing passenger has been identified as Jonathan Battler, 25, of no fixed address. Battler was found to be at large on eight outstanding warrants, while being bound by a recognizance from a prior incident, said Eiler. She added Battler is facing a number of new charges stemming from this incident.
Battler's new charges include possession of stolen property over $5,000, obstructing a police officer, two counts of breaching a recognizance and failing to appear in court.
Eiler said Battler is in custody and was scheduled to appear in Red Deer provincial court on Nov. 10.
Eiler said RCMP continues to investigate this incident and is asking any member of the public with relevant information to contact Innisfail RCMP at 403-227-3342, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by Internet at www.tipsubmit.com
Meanwhile, the RCMP is reminding vehicle owners to keep their keys and key fobs on their person when allowing their vehicles to idle.
“Although trucks are predominantly the vehicle of choice, don't forget to secure your other motor vehicles, like quads, tractors and snowmobiles,” said RCMP Cpl. Curtis Peters of K Division's strategic communications office. “We have a recent example of a situation where a tractor was stolen and used to ram and disable a police vehicle. These situations are potentially deadly.”
Citizens are reminded to never leave a running vehicle unattended, install a remote starter if possible, use a steering wheel lock to deter thieves, never leave children unattended in a running vehicle, and never leave spare keys or garage door openers in or around your vehicle.
RCMP also reminds citizens that if their keys are stolen, immediately change the locks for the keys that have gone missing, including residences and vehicles.
RCMP Cpl. Curtis Peters
"Although trucks are predominantly the vehicle of choice, don't forget to secure your other motor vehicles, like quads, tractors and snowmobiles."
