RCMP using helicopter to continue search
MEAT COVE — A Bay St. Lawrence man wanted on multiple warrants had not been apprehended as of late Wednesday afternoon, the third day after he entered the woods in Meat Cove.
Perry Daniel MacKinnon, 34, fled from a house in Meat Cove, Inverness County, with a gun early Monday afternoon, as RCMP arrived to arrest him. MacKinnon was scheduled to stand trial in Sydney in August on weapon offences.
Temperatures in the area with wind chills have been around -13 C.
“We're still in the area, we're still searching for MacKinnon,” said Cpl. Mark Skinner of the Nova Scotia RCMP.
“We have a significant number of resources including our helicopter and an airplane up there.
“It was awfully cold (Tuesday) night,” he said. “There is a concern we have for (MacKinnon's) safety. Clearly, we'd like to bring this to a peaceful resolution as soon as possible, not only from a criminality perspective but also as this poor fellow has been out in the woods and it doesn't appear he was dressed appropriately for weather conditions.
"Obviously, the sooner this is resolved, the better for everyone involved.”
Skinner said residents are being asked to minimize their time out of their homes, adding they do realize people have to leave for work and medical appointments.
“We're not preventing people from leaving but we're asking them to minimize their time out of their house for their safety,” he said.
Although the Meat Cove area is noted for having cellphone usage issues, RCMP say communicating with residents hasn't been a problem, due to the small number of people.
All vehicles going in and out of the community are being stopped.
If MacKinnon is spotted, residents are asked not to approach him and call 911.