SUNDRE - The law has caught up with one of the suspects from a robbery south of Caroline earlier this week who was arrested yesterday following another recent crime spree involving shots fired and several pursuits in another Central Alberta region.
Kenton Charles Butters, 31, was apprehended Aug. 13 by the Emergency Response Team. He is alleged to have been one of three suspects in a Clearwater County home invasion on Monday and had already been wanted on a Canada-wide arrest warrant.
Officers from the Rocky Mountain House and Sundre RCMP detachments were dispatched on the morning of Monday, Aug. 10 to an area south of Caroline along Twp. Rd. 360 following a 911 call that multiple unknown individuals had entered a residence and assaulted two occupants inside. The suspects fled in possession of stolen firearms, said police, adding they were unable to track the suspects down.
Butters was nabbed, along with another male, following what police described in a press release issued today as “a dynamic incident that saw an unfolding sequence of pursuits, involving multiple RCMP jurisdictions and shots fired at a police truck.”
The Blackfalds and Stettler detachments issued a joint press release regarding the arrest of the two suspects.
On Wednesday, Aug. 12 at about 11:06 p.m., Sylvan Lake RCMP were advised by Calgary Police Service that a stolen vehicle was in their area.
Police say the suspect vehicle reportedly travelled through the Lacombe Police Service’s jurisdiction at high speeds, with information subsequently relayed between that police department and the RCMP.
Later located by the Blackfalds RCMP, the vehicle failed to pull over when officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop, said RCMP Corporal Laurel Scott. The ensuing pursuit was terminated soon afterwards.
However, the vehicle was eventually located once again, and a tire deflation device was covertly deployed. In an attempt to evade the spike strip, she said the suspect vehicle entered a rural property east of Lacombe. There, she said the occupants proceeded to steal another truck before fleeing the scene, abandoning behind them the vehicle that was originally stolen.
“Once again, a pursuit was initiated. The involved Police Dog Services truck was struck by bullet rounds believed to be discharged from the suspects in the stolen truck,” Scott said in the release, adding no one was hit by any of the rounds.
The RCMP Emergency Response Team was deployed to assist in the apprehension of the suspects, and the freshly stolen vehicle was tracked near Erskine, where the RCMP set up a containment area.
“Shortly after, the RCMP received information that two other vehicles had just been stolen from a property in the area.”
Spike belts were once again deployed, resulting in the successful stop of both vehicles near Highway 12 and Rge. Rd. 202.
At 3:47 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13, members of the Emergency Response Team apprehended both suspects and placed them in custody.
Officers discovered a firearm in one of the vehicles. This weapon was confirmed stolen during a previous home invasion.
Butters was unlawfully at large and wanted on a Canada-wide warrant at the time of this incident.
In relation to the Stettler incident, Butters is facing 12 Criminal Code charges including: theft of truck; dangerous operation of a motor vehicle; failing to stop when being pursued; possession of a weapon dangerous to the public; and possession of a stolen firearm.
In relation to the events in the Blackfalds jurisdiction, Butters was charged with eight criminal offences including theft of truck, discharge a firearm with intent and assault with a weapon.
Alexander Michael Talbot, 28, has been charged with four criminal code offences arising out of activities in Stettler. These include theft of truck, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle as well as failure to stop when pursued by police.
Investigators also tied Butters to the home invasion that occurred days before near Caroline on Monday, Aug. 10 just prior to 10:27 a.m. As a result, the accused is charged with break and enter to a dwelling house as well as theft of firearms.
Additional suspects are still being sought for the Caroline home invasion, and that investigation remains ongoing.
Both accused remain in custody and bail hearings are scheduled for Monday, Aug. 17 in Red Deer provincial court.
