Dumb thieves steal GPS-enabled devices from well site

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By J.W. Schnarr
Taber Times
jwschnarr@tabertimes.com

A number of assaults and an easy GPS-assisted bust highlighted Municipal District of Taber RCMP activity for the month of June.

During their regular meeting on July 14, M.D. council was updated on the monthly statistics gathered by the Taber/Vauxhall RCMP by Cst. Melanie Schefter.

RCMP responded to four assaults within the M.D. in June, including a complaint of a mother striking a daughter, which was deemed discipline gone too far. No charges were laid, and the situation was mediated.

They also dealt with an assault with a weapon, stemming from an incident where a male shot another male with a pellet gun following an argument over a girlfriend. Schefter said the man was charged, and when the weapon was tested, the velocity qualified it as a firearm.

“He’s going to be hit by three more charges,” she said.

A complaint from a woman in Vauxhall alleging her ex-boyfriend tried to sexually assault her was proven to be unfounded.

“The incident was unfounded,” said Schefter.

And finally, police responded to an incident in Barnwell for a complaint that a man was assaulting his wife and son, and attempting to sexually assault his wife. Charges were laid in relation to the incident.

In regards to a theft that occurred involving a number of meters from CNRL oil and gas well sites, Schefter said the case was quickly resolved.

Both the meters had GPS tracking on them,” she said, adding she tracked the devices to Edmonton, called Edmonton Police Service, and quickly recovered the property and found the suspects.

“It was a good one,” Schefter quipped. “I did it all from my desk.”

RCMP responded to a total of 195 complaints or incidents in June, including: One complaint of impaired driving, which resulted in a 60-day vehicle seizure due to prior infractions; four complaints of assault; three complaints of break and enter; eight complaints of theft, including six complaints of theft under $1,000 and two bicycle thefts that occurred in Vauxhall; one complaint of threats uttered, involving a woman with a screwdriver involved in a domestic dispute. As the male involved in the complaint was unwilling to provide a statement, there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

“There is a history with those two, and they like to make stuff up, essentially,” Schefter said.

Seven complaints of mischief, including three in Grassy Lake, three in the M.D. area, and one in Vauxhall; one complaint under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, involving a driver pulled over for using their cell phone. The driver had no license, and investigating an odour of marijuana, drug paraphernalia was discovered.

“We issued tickets and did not lay criminal code charges in that,” said Schefter.

24 complaints stemming from other Criminal Code or Statutes; 12 requests to assist police, other agencies, or the general public; 24 9-1-1 hangups; nine false alarms; one abandoned vehicle, involving an abandoned motorcycle at the Grassy Lake campground; eight animal calls, including three cattle complaints and three dog complaints; seven suspicious vehicles or persons complaints; one incident of lost or found property; one complaint under the firearms act, involving a complaint of shots fired at Chin Lake. Schefter said some children with a pellet gun were found and no charges were laid; 36 traffic complaints; 17 traffic collisions, including three resulting in injuries; 25 bylaw complaints; and five administrative files were opened.
RCMP also issued 68 violation tickets in June, including: 31 speeding; one intersection; nine other moving; one seatbelt; and 26 non-moving.

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