The RCMP is still on the hunt for a man who violently kidnapped a well-known Ponoka businessman last week.
Blair Vold, owner of Vold, Jones & Vold Auction, was kidnapped near his Morningside home around 9 a.m. on Sept. 15 by an unknown man.
According to his father, Ralph Vold, Blair was leaving his residence and discovered a log that was lying across the road. While getting out of his vehicle in an attempt to remove it, a man jumped out of a nearby bush.
“The man put a gun to Blair’s head, bound his hands behind his back and put a mask and hood over his head so Blair couldn’t see,” said Ralph. “He then shoved him into the backseat of the truck and took off.”
The man was after money, according to Ralph who said the suspect initially demanded $300,000.
“Blair told him there was no way he could get that kind of money and called the auction mart and told the secretary to get together $30,000 because he had made a land deal. The secretary thought it was very strange and that Blair didn’t sound right.”
The suspect drove to a Lacombe bank and attempted to take money out of Blair’s account using his debit card. While the suspect was in the bank, Blair escaped the vehicle and ran to a nearby gas station where he called the RCMP.
“While Blair was running towards the gas station, the man came out of the bank and pointed the gun at him but then just took off,” said Ralph.
RCMP has yet to catch the suspect. He is described as 6” tall with a slender build and white moustache and goatee. The suspect had attempted to conceal his face while he had contact with the victim.
The suspect fled from the bank in a newer silver four door Chevrolet pick up truck before police arrived.
Luckily, Blair was not injured in the incident.
“Something like this happening was the farthest thing from our minds,” said Ralph, adding that police are looking at the possibility of disgruntled customers from the auction mart, as the suspect knew Blair’s name. “But we have a lot of confidence in the RCMP that they’ll track the suspect down.”
RCMP Const. Karolina Malik added although they have made no arrests, the general public should not be concerned.
“In a town like Ponoka this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a cause for concern for the public. Ponoka is generally a safe town.”
The Ponoka RCMP, the Calgary RCMP General Investigative Section and the Lacombe Police Service are continuing this investigation.
Anyone with information on this matter is asked to contact the Ponoka RCMP at 403-783-4472 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 should they wish to remain anonymous.
efawcett@reddeerexpress.com
