A daylong crime spree in Sylvan Lake and Blackfalds areas last week has netted a number of charges against a 29-year-old Rocky Mountain House man.
At 7:15 a.m. on Sept. 11, Sylvan Lake RCMP responded to a report of a stolen black Kia motor vehicle from Hewlett Park in Sylvan Lake. The car was left unattended while warming up outside its owner’s residence.
RCMP received a complaint a couple of hours later of an unknown male found in the basement living room of a rural residence west of town. The intruder was confronted by the homeowner, and asked to return items he was suspected of stealing.
Police say the man became nervous during the encounter, and attempted to flee, only to be restrained by the homeowner. He eventually broke free and fled. The homeowner noted that the suspect drove away in a black Kia — the same one police say had earlier been reported stolen from Hewlett Park.
The vehicle was found abandoned not far from the rural residence. The suspect was determined to have then stolen a truck. Police eventually learned that that vehicle had also been abandoned, and that a newer truck had been taken.
Later in the day, Blackfalds RCMP were advised of a truck that had been left at the Burnt Lake Stables. A truck had been gone through by a man who took $50 from it. The culprit was observed leaving the scene on foot.
Blackfalds RCMP responded to an alarm going off at a rural residence just after 2 p.m. A neighbour told police he observed a darkly-clothed male leaving the residence on a black quad and equipped with a rifle. The male was followed by the neighbour along Range Road 283, before the quad disappeared east into a field.
The area was attended by Blackfalds, Innisfail and Innisfail Freeway RCMP, who were unable to find the quad, despite carrying out extensive searches of rural properties.
Blackfalds RCMP then received information that the suspect had been seen heading west from Range Road 283 on Township Road 374.
RCMP made patrols of the area, and spoke to one rural property owner who advised that he’d seen a male on a quad in his field. Further patrols of the area were made, and Blackfalds RCMP eventually located the suspect, still on the quad, at a nearby rural property.
Without incident, he was taken into custody, ending what police called a “long, crime-filled day.”
Following the suspect’s arrest, police found a rifle and a shotgun on the quad.
Tyler Joseph Shaw, 29, of Rocky Mountain House, appeared in Red Deer provincial court on Monday, and is facing 14 charges in total, which include three counts of break and enter, one count of possession of stolen property, four counts of theft, and five weapons-related charges.