Men fled to woods without shirts or shoes, police say

Two men from Montreal Lake Cree Nation were arrested after a four-hour chase through the northern Saskatchewan forest on Tuesday.

Around 4:30 p.m., Saskatchewan RCMP officers approached a home on the Cree Nation, searching for a wanted man, RCMP said in a Friday news release.

Two men ran from the home and got into an SUV. When officers blocked the vehicle from leaving, the men ran into the woods nearby.

“Officers worked to locate the males. They observed them in the woods, wading across a river,” the release said.

With help from several teams that included police dog and air support, the two men were found and arrested around 8:30 p.m. without further incident.

“The males appeared to be suffering from exposure to the elements and were provided first aid by Saskatchewan RCMP'S Emergency Medical Response Team.”

Searching the suspects during the arrest, officers found and seized about 3.5 grams of crack cocaine and a large amount of cash from one of the men, the release said.

In the SUV, they found a loaded shotgun with a defaced serial number, ammunition, 20 grams of methamphetamine, two batons, a can of bear spray and trafficking paraphernalia.

“These males, one on a Canada-wide warrant and one just released from jail a couple of weeks ago, were determined to evade police. They ran — with no shirts or shoes on — into a thick wooded area, even crossing a frigid river in an attempt to avoid arrest,” Insp. Jeff Smoliak of the RCMP'S Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Team said in the release.

“We have the investigational knowledge and technology to locate individuals, even in rugged terrain. Through the teamwork of Waskesiu/montreal Lake RCMP, multiple Saskatchewan RCMP units, as well as Saskatoon Police Service's Air Support Unit, the males were arrested, and an illegal firearm and illicit drugs were removed from the community of Montreal Lake.”

The suspects, ages 23 and 32, are charged with two counts possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of the proceeds of crimes, possession of a firearm knowingly without a licence, occupying a vehicle with a firearm, possession of a firearm with serial number removed, two counts of possession of a firearm while prohibited, three counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and resisting arrest.

The 23-year-old was also arrested on a Canada-wide warrant from Correctional Service Canada for breach of statutory release conditions and from Saskatoon police for being unlawfully at large.

Both men appeared in Prince Albert provincial court on Thursday.

Montreal Lake Cree Nation is about 250 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.