A Ponoka woman is facing a serious criminal charge after she allegedly made threats against a Calgary naturist swimming event.
Working with the Calgary Police Service, on Feb. 27 the Ponoka RCMP arrested 26 year old Arie Christine Guthrie; Guthrie has been charged with one count of uttering threats by the CPS.
“We take any threat of this nature very seriously,” said CPS spokesperson Acting Staff Sergeant Scott McCann in a press release. “We conducted a thorough investigation in order to lay this charge and we appreciate the RCMP’s assistance with this file.”
In a press release, the CPS stated they received a complaint on Jan. 8 that a naturist, or nudist, swimming event planned for the Southland Leisure Centre on the Jan. 14 weekend had been threatened. Naturist events are more commonly referred to as nudist events.
Contacted by Black Press Mar. 7, a Calgary Police Service spokesperson confirmed the original naturist event was scheduled for Jan. 14.
The spokesperson confirmed the event was cancelled by the city as the threats were taken seriously. The spokesperson said the city could not comment on the nature of the threat, and also could not comment on whether the suspect is known to police.
The Ponoka RCMP were contacted Mar. 7 and confirmed police services routinely assist other forces in this way.
At the time, the city’s recreation department decided to cancel the event as safety concerns arose, and the story became provincial news.
The CPS stated Guthrie’s first court appearance is Friday, April 6.
