Extortion arrest answers little about homicide
55-year-old suspect, in a wheelchair and physically distraught, appears in court but immediately sent for psych assessment
Crying and shaking, a man accused of violent extortion possibly linked to a recent homicide made his first appearance in Medicine Hat Court Thursday afternoon.
“This was a very serious extortion, there was some severe threats, some severe violence,” said Insp. Brent Secondiak, with the Medicine Hat Police Service, which announced Thursday the arrest of 55-year-old Robert S. Hoefman on the single count of extortion. “It’s one of the most violent ones that I have personally ever seen.”
The extortion was directed at more than one person, said Secondiak. “And generally there were threats towards the community.”
Due to the ongoing investigation, Secondiak said the information police are releasing is limited and vague.
A publication ban, requested by the Crown, also prevents publishing information that could identify the victim(s).
Hoefman, who was in a wheelchair, was pushed in to the prisoner’s box by a sheriff while his family members sat in the gallery.
“I advise the court I would not accept instruction from this man in his current state,” said duty counsel, being granted the request that Hoefman be sent to the Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre for a fitness assessment.
Hoefman will be transported to Calgary, with the warrant covering five days of assessment, plus travel time. His next court appearance is set for Nov. 21. He has not yet secured legal counsel.
Police began their investigation into the extortion on Oct. 10. Then, on Oct. 11, the body of James Satre was found near his home, in an alleyway by the intersection of Mill Street and Smelter Avenue. Police declared Satre’s death a homicide. On Oct. 23, police received additional information potentially linking the two investigations and also “raised concerns that there is a threat to cause death to unknown citizens.”
Police announced a possible connection between both cases, issuing a warning to the public.
“Over the course of the past month, they (police) have been conducting interviews, doing surveillance, doing search warrants, and yesterday (Nov. 8) we ended up doing three search warrants, and everything we’ve done over the past month has led to the arrest of Mr. Hoefman and the single charge of extortion,” said Secondiak.
Police have not yet definitively confirmed the two files are connected, he said, and they continue to investigate both.
Hoefman is considered a “person of interest” for the homicide.
Secondiak said police feel the risk to the public is now “substantially diminished,” although the public should remain vigilant.
As of right now, there are no links between Satre and the accused, said Secondiak.
There’s still “a lot of work to do” in both investigations, he said. “There’s a lot of information to comb through, devices to go through. I would say they’re both going full bore.”