Marijuana charges
On the morning of Mar. 2 Bonnyville RCMP Detachment received a call about a couple fighting at a residence in the Town of Bonnyville. Around 8 a.m., officers responded to the call and after arriving at the scene determined that no violence had occurred. While there, police noticed a strong smell of marijuana at the residence.
The 32-year-old male resident of Bonnyville was arrested for possession of marijuana. A search warrant was granted and executed on the residence, which resulted in police finding marijuana and a police scanner. The man was released from custody and faces charges of possession of marijuana and possessing an intercepting device. The female at the residence was not charged in the incident.
“The marijuana belonged to the male. They had been in a relationship but were separated and he was in full possession of the marijuana,” said Constable Laura Carroll with the Bonnyville RCMP.
Onion Lake driver arrested in M.D.
On Mar. 3 members of the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment assisted an M.D. of Bonnyville Peace Officer in a traffic stop. The stop revealed that the 28-year-old driver had outstanding warrants. The resident of Onion Lake, SK had a warrant issued by the Cold Lake RCMP for driving with no insurance and a warrant issued by Elk Point RCMP for failing to appear in court.
Further police checks on the driver also found that he had been disqualified driving. He was arrested on his previous warrants, as well as for driving while disqualified and remains in police custody.
Downtown business break-in
Around 2 a.m. on Mar. 4, the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment received a glass break alarm from Sonny's Liquor Store. Officers arrived at the store and found a hole in the front store window along with a hatchet that had been left at the scene. The suspects had fled the scene but video surveillance showed the six individuals that were involved.
Elk Point RCMP located all of the suspects, who were involved in other incidents in the Elk Point RCMP Detachment's area. The stolen property from Sonny's Liquor Store was recovered and all six suspects were arrested.
“All of the six individuals involved were released on our Bonnyville matters and are still being held in custody in relation to what Elk Point located them for,” said Carroll.
The six suspects are charged with break and enter to commit theft, theft under $5,000 and mischief to damage property.
Impaired Driving
On Mar. 5 a 32-year-old resident of Kehewin was issued a 72-hour suspension. The suspension came after the man provided samples of his breath following a traffic stop officers had conducted for speeding. The breath samples were found to be over the provincial limit. The man was released without criminal charges but, in addition to the 72-hour suspension, was issued a violation ticket for driving without a license.
From Mar. 2 to 6, the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment responded to seven impaired driving calls. Two were cleared with charges, there was one 72-hour suspension and the other four were found to be not impaired.
Occupant restraint use month
March is occupant restraint use month. Bonnyville RCMP, along with St. Paul Traffic Services will be focusing on making sure area drivers are properly buckled up. Carroll said while officers will still be on the look out for other traffic violations, they will just be paying close attention to whether or not seat belts are being worn.
“As police officers we go to many collisions. There have been many collisions in our careers we have seen where injuries could have been avoided if seatbelts were used.”
Previously, the Bonnyville RCMP in conjunction with the St. Paul Traffic Services wrapped up distracted driving month in February. During the month, Bonnyville area residents received 83 distracted driving tickets issued by St. Paul Traffic Services relating to cell phone use. Bonnyville RCMP members also issued several distracted driving tickets.
“St. Paul Traffic Services did advise that they believe distracted driving to be a large problem in Bonnyville as those 83 tickets were written in under 10 days in our area,” said Carroll.
