On Aug. 29th, at approximately 6:15 p.m., Blackfalds RCMP responded to a call from the public regarding a suspicious male near Joffre in Lacombe County.
The male suspect who was later identified was on a rural property and appeared to be attempting to steal fuel.
He was located by police and then attempted to flee to a neighbouring vacant property.
Police Dog Services (PDS) responded and containment of the area was set up. The suspect was tracked to an outbuilding where he had been hiding by PDS and arrested by Blackfalds and Bashaw RCMP members. He was transported to Blackfalds Detachment and treated by EMS for minor injuries sustained during his arrest.
The suspect was also found to be linked to several other investigations.
On Aug. 1st, at approximately 12: 45 p.m., Bashaw RCMP were dispatched to a break and enter and vehicle theft from a rural property east of Bashaw.
The suspect entered a residence and severely injured a dog and stole various items including a vehicle. He then returned to the same property after the vehicle broke down and proceeded to steal another vehicle. As a result of the severe injuries during the break and enter, the dog had to be euthanized.
Over the days and weeks that followed, the suspect was identified as being responsible for a number of rural break and enters and thefts in multiple jurisdictions including Bashaw, Wetaskiwin, Blackfalds and Rimbey. The assistance of the Forensic Identification Service (FIS) were utilized.
Michael Allan Richter, 39, from Ponoka, who is known to police as a repeat offender, was remanded into custody. In addition to his 11 charges from the incident on Aug. 29th, he was wanted on two outstanding warrants from Wetaskiwin and Bashaw. Police have laid a total of 41 charges on all incidents.
Some of the charges include break and enter with intent – business; possession of break-in instruments; resist/obstructing a peace officer; possession of a weapon while prohibited; possession of a prohibited weapon; possession of property obtained by crime less than or equal to $5000.00 (two counts) and failing to comply with Probation Order (four counts).
He was remanded into custody and will be appearing on Sept. 4th in Wetaskiwin and Red Deer Provincial Court.
“We appreciate successful outcomes when we utilize our specialized units such as Police Dog Services,” says Sgt. Bruce Holliday of the Bashaw RCMP Detachment.
”This investigation drew on several components of our crime reduction strategy such as intelligence gathering, information sharing across jurisdictions and public assistance.”
-Submitted by RCMP Alberta Media Relations
