`ARMING FOR A STANDOFF AGAINST POLICE'
DOCUMENTS REVEAL WHY RCMP FEARED THEY WERE TARGETS AT COUTTS BORDER BLOCKADE
Police believed guns were brought to the border blockade in Coutts, Alta., last winter for the specific purpose of shooting officers, court documents released Wednesday reveal. In supporting documents to obtain search warrants on various properties associated with the protest, Const. Trevor Checkley detailed the concerns Mounties had following an undercover investigation into the blockade.
The documents, called Information to Obtain or ITOS, specifically named three of four suspects charged with conspiracy to murder RCMP officers, Anthony Olienick, Chris Carbert and Jerry Morin, as being of concern to police.
“I have reasonable grounds to believe that Olienick, Carbert and Morin were part of a group that participated in the Coutts blockade and brought firearms into the Coutts blockade area with the intention of using those firearms against police,” Checkley wrote.
Checkley, in the applications that supported search warrants issued by provincial court Judge Kristin Ailsby, said police suspected there were other unknown individuals involved in what was believed to be a highly organized group.
The heavily redacted ITOS were released by Ailsby at the request of lawyer Tess Layton, who represented a media consortium that included Postmedia News.
In the documents, Checkley said Olienick indicated protesters were heavily armed.
“Olienick told (undercover officers) they had hundreds of guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition,” he said in seeking a search warrant at the accused's home in the Municipal District of Willow Creek.
“When police executed a search warrant at (the 1 Avenue North address in Coutts where it was believed many protesters were staying), police located only 15 firearms.”
The officer suspected there were other group members that had not attended the protest, while some equipment had yet to arrive when police moved in and made arrests in mid-february.
“I believe Olienick had equipment stored outside of Coutts, there were members of the group that were not in Coutts and members of the group that transported some of the equipment into Coutts for Olienick,” he said. “I believe equipment intended for Coutts did not arrive.”
The blockade, which shut down the busy Alberta-montana border crossing in a protest of COVID-19 health measures, began last January and lasted 18 days.
Checkley said police believed the border blockade was planned.
“I do not believe that Olienick met his associates for the first time while in Coutts,” he said. “Investigators, including myself, believe that some of this planning occurred prior to Olienick, Morin and Carbert attending Coutts. Furthermore, investigators believe that the firearms were brought into Coutts from somewhere outside Coutts.
“Investigators believe they have yet to seize all firearms that were available to Olienick and the rest of the group while in Coutts.”
In seeking the search warrant for Olienick's property, Checkley indicated there was some urgency.
“Olienick possessed firearms and was part of a group that spoke about using firearms against police. Police have not yet identified all members of the group and I believe there were members of the group that were not present in Coutts. I therefore believe it is in the best interests of police and public safety to execute this warrant as soon as practicable,” he wrote. “Based on the totality of the circumstances, I have reasonable ground to believe that Olienick, Carbert and
THEY HAVE YET TO SEIZE ALL FIREARMS THAT WERE AVAILABLE TO ... THE GROUP.
Morin were part of a subgroup with loose ties to (information redacted).
“I believe the sub-group was arming themselves for a standoff against police.”
Police have not indicated any further arrests since the initial searches on Feb. 14, which resulted in Carbert, Olienick, Morin and Christopher Lysak being charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Nine others were initially charged with mischief to property and possession of dangerous weapons, although charges against two have been dropped.