Innisfail RCMP have laid 22 additional charges against a desperate and armed local man following a tense six-hour manhunt last week that ended in the fugitive's dramatic takedown in Bowden -- a police operation that forced Mounties to utilize heavily armed emergency response team (ERT) members as well as air support from Edmonton.
Following the capture of 20-year-old Dillon Bristow, of the Innisfail area, at about 12:30 a.m. on June 13, local RCMP charged the fugitive with three counts of possession of stolen property over $5,000, hit and run, flight from police, two counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm without a proper licence, possession of a firearm while being prohibited, careless storage of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm in a vehicle, break and enter into a business, six counts of breaching a recognizance and four charges of breaching probation.
The newest charges again Bristow follows several charges laid against him one week earlier while he was on the run and following a bungled attempted robbery with an alleged accomplice on June 5 at Kelly's Campground, located 25 kilometres west of Innisfail.
From that incident, Bristow was charged with robbery with a firearm, possession of property obtained by crime, possession of a firearm, trafficking cocaine, disguised with intent to commit an offence, using a firearm in the commission of an offence, and failing to comply with a probation order.
Bristow is currently in custody and is scheduled to appear in Red Deer provincial court on June 20.
Michael Holt, 33, of Red Deer, who was nabbed by police on June 6, was charged with possession of property obtained by crime, possession of cocaine, failing to comply with conditions of an undertaking and failing to comply with a probation order. Holt was remanded into custody with his next court appearance scheduled for today (June 17) in Red Deer for election and plea.
Following the Kelly's Campground incident, which was underscored with the attempted theft of a camper's motor vehicle and a gunshot fired into the ground, RCMP continued to search for Bristow, who they considered armed and dangerous.
Shortly before 6 p.m. on June 12 RCMP received a complaint of a vehicle driving erratically southbound on Highway 2 north of Bowden. Subsequent investigation by RCMP revealed the vehicle in question had been stolen and was involved in a hit-and-run incident in Penhold prior to the complaint. Police located the vehicle abandoned at Highway 587 and Rge. Rd. 11 near Bowden and identified the driver of the stolen vehicle as Bristow.
Police dog services tracked Bristow from the abandoned vehicle to the grounds of the Alberta Nurseries and Seeds, a sprawling 36-hectare business on the north side of town, police said.
As Mounties considered Bristow to be armed and dangerous, Calgary RCMP ERT members were deployed, as well as a police helicopter, which could be seen constantly circling overhead throughout the evening.
RCMP secured a perimeter around the nursery and conducted an extensive search of the area. Access to Highway 2 at its junction with Highway 587 was closed for most of the evening. Police blocked traffic at several intersections near the scene of the search.
RCMP contacted Bowden mayor Robb Stuart about the massive police presence in town, which consisted of at least 30 police officers, including those from the Innisfail, Olds, Red Deer and Blackfalds detachments.
“They said there was potential there could be harm coming their way. They thought the person (suspect) was heading towards Bowden, and they were trying to be vigilant,” said Stuart. The mayor and other members of Bowden council had raised concerns earlier in the week about the lack of communication from police with the town at the time when investigators were looking for the suspects from the campground incident in Bowden on June 5 and 6. Council ultimately agreed to draft letters to the Olds and Innisfail RCMP detachments, as well as RCMP K Division to express concerns about RCMP communications' protocol during operations when police presence is highly visible in the community.
“It is good we have the information this time. It is really critical the RCMP and us have that open channel of communication and it worked very well.”
Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk said the ERT team ultimately located and apprehended the fugitive in a building at the nursery at about 12:30 a.m. on June 13. “He was hiding in the building and from then on it went without incident. He did not challenge our members at all. Once he was located by our emergency response team no incident happened. He surrendered at that time,” he said.
Matechuk said a firearm was located when the police dog service was tracking him into the nursery area but at the time of the arrest the suspect was not armed. In light of the recent tragedy in New Brunswick that resulted in the deaths of three RCMP officers, Matechuk was asked by the media if anything in the Bowden operation was handled differently. “The only thing that concerned me was that we wanted to get the message out to the community to use caution, don't approach him, and call the police,” he said. “We had a good containment of the area. We had no reason to believe he was out of the area. We just wanted the public to know why we were there, and again just to use caution.”
