Whitecourt RCMP traffic officers arrest same person twice in one week

Alberta RCMP traffic officers in Whitecourt arrested the same person twice in one week in September, police said, alleging both times that the accused was breaking release conditions and was carrying drugs and bear spray.

The Whitecourt resident, whom police describe as a prolific offender, faces 11 charges, Alberta RCMP said in a news release dated Sept. 28 and posted to its website Thursday. Police did not release the person’s name, age or gender.

On Sept. 11, officers on a rural highway patrol near Whitecourt checked a spot where stolen copper wire had reportedly been stripped, police said. They found a vehicle with two people inside and stopped it.

Police allege one of them had recently been released from custody on unrelated charges and was breaching court-ordered conditions. Officers said they found a small amount of suspected crystal methamphetamine and a can of bear spray during the arrest.

The person was remanded into custody by a justice of the peace and released on conditions on Sept. 15, according to the release.

On Sept. 18, RCMP traffic officers were called to help a Whitecourt RCMP officer with a traffic stop. Police allege they found the same person again failing to comply with release conditions, and again found drugs and bear spray.

The accused is charged with four weapons-related offences, four counts of failing to comply with a release order, driving while unauthorized, possession of a controlled substance and one offence under the Cannabis Act.

“The quick actions of our members helped identify repeated breaches and remove an offender from the community,” Sgt. Greg Anderson, who leads the Alberta RCMP Traffic Whitecourt Unit, said in the release.

The accused was remanded into custody after the second arrest and is scheduled to appear in Alberta Court of Justice in Whitecourt on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.