Snowmobile chase suspect in court

A 34-year-old man facing charges in connection with a police chase last week near Vulcan made his first court appearance in Lethbridge Wednesday.

Tyrone Michael Emblau appeared by closed-circuit TV from the Lethbridge Correctional Centre where he has been remanded since his arrest March 21.

Vulcan RCMP responded to a report that a snowmobile had been stolen from a location near the Village of Champion at about 5:15 a.m. that day. Residents who witnessed the offence directed an officer to a suspect who was found hauling the stolen snowmobile with a stolen Nissan truck.

After the officer pulled the driver over they began to fight and the suspect managed to get away. Additional RCMP officers followed the truck, until it became stuck in a field. The driver then took off on the snowmobile and was chased by other officers, also on snowmobiles.

A Calgary police helicopter pilot spotted the snowmobile stuck in a stand of trees several kilometres from the abandoned truck and trailer, and a police dog tracked the suspect and he was arrested. He was taken to hospital and treated for injuries sustained when he crashed into a tree with the snowmobile.

Police learned the pickup truck had been stolen from Okotoks and the trailer had been taken from Taber. The licence plate on the truck had been stolen from Creston, B.C.

At the time of Emblau's arrest, he was wanted on 29 warrants from different police detachments.

Emblau faces 18 charges in relation to the chase, including assaulting a peace officer, flight from police, dangerous driving and possession of stolen property over $5,000.

His next local court appearance in is scheduled for April 25.

Follow @DelonHerald on Twitter