Drayton Valley RCMP lay charges following pursuit of stolen vehicle
The Breton RCMP were alerted to a truck spotted on Highway 39, that had been reported stolen in an earlier armed robbery/ car jacking in Stony Plain. Following a brief pursuit which ended in Rimbey’s RCMP detachment jurisdiction, the truck was stopped, driver arrested and charges have been laid.
On February 16 just before 1:00 a.m., Stony Plain responded to an armed robbery/ car jacking that occurred on Highway 43, where a citizen had his truck stolen from him. Two Caucasian males demanded his wallet, cellphone, Ipad and his truck. The citizen complied and the suspects fled in both the truck they were initially driving and the stolen truck.
The male suspects were described as Caucasian in the age range of 20 – 30 years old. They were driving a 2000s model GMC crew cab with a tidy tank in the back.
Notification was sent to all surrounding detachments to be aware of this incident, and to monitor for both the stolen truck and the suspect truck.
At 8:30 a.m., Breton RCMP members received information that led them to locate the stolen truck on Highway 39. The driver failed to comply with demands of the RCMP and fled. A pursuit ensued which included assistance from the detachments of Rimbey, Rocky Mountain House, Drayton Valley and Thorsby.
23-year-old Christopher Jacob Burke was arrested in the stolen truck and taken to Drayton Valley RCMP Detachment. The truck was recovered by the RCMP for return to the owner. Burke is facing criminal charges as follows: Operation of MV while being pursed by police, Dangerous Operation of MV, Possession of Property Obtained by Crime over $5000.00, and Mischief.
He has been remanded in custody and is scheduled for court on February 20 at the Provincial Court of Alberta in Drayton Valley.
The Stony Plain/Spruce Grove RCMP investigation into the initial armed robbery/ car jacking is ongoing. The Stony Plain GIS Unit is investigating. If you have information about this investigation, please call the Stony Plain RCMP at 780-968-7200 or call your local police detachment. If you want to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800222-8477 (TIPS), by internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by SMS.