A stolen license plate spotted in Ponoka has led to the arrests of three men in Wetaskiwin.
According to Wetaskiwin RCMP spokesperson Cst. Christine Hepburn, “May 7th, 2018 the Central Alberta District Rural Crime Reduction Project (RCRP) located a stolen license plate affixed to a trailer on a rural Ponoka property. During the course of a police investigation, two males were observed attending the property and dropping off items prior to departing. During the execution of a search warrant, police located and seized a loaded firearm.
“The following day, two males were arrested in Wetaskiwin, Alberta.
“Shawn Phinney 26-year-old and Matthew Burroughs 26-year-old both of Wetaskiwin, Alberta face the following charges: Unauthorized possession of a firearm, Possession of a firearm without a licence, Possession of a prohibited weapon and Possession of a firearm with altered serial number .
“A third male from of Ponoka, Alberta is also accused, and is currently in police custody on other criminal matters.
“Phinney and the third male are each charged with an additional offence of possession of a firearm contrary to a weapons prohibition.
“Phinney and Burroughs were brought before a Justice of the Peace and have been released for court in Ponoka on June 1st, 2018.”
Hepburn stated the Rural Crime Reduction Project has been working in the Wetaskiwin area since mid April and added these arrests are as a result of a crime reduction strategy involving targeting crime ‘hotspots’ and focusing resources on monitoring the activities in those hotspots.
