Man charged after mayhem in La Ronge

A 37-year-old man from La Ronge is facing a number of charges after what RCMP called “an incredibly dangerous situation” unfolded in the northern Saskatchewan town on March 18. Saskatchewan RCMP said in a news release on March 22 that the incident began when RCMP'S Meadow Lake crime reduction team tried to stop a vehicle on Highway 2. The vehicle — which did not stop and sped away — was followed but the chase was called off for safety reasons when the vehicle entered a residential area. Officers from La Ronge joined in the search for the vehicle, which was then found in a driveway on Jimmy Roberts Road. When police surrounded it and told the male driver he was under arrest, police said the man then drove his vehicle at high speed directly at one of the officers, who had to jump out of the way. Police chased after the vehicle, which they said then did a U-turn and drove head-on at a police vehicle, forcing the driver to swerve to avoid a collision. Even after police surrounded the vehicle, RCMP said the man continued to rev the vehicle's engine and try to free it. The man also resisted arrest. During a search, police said officers found about 26 grams of cocaine, 1.6 grams of methamphetamine, three grams of cannabis, two “pharmaceutical-style pills,” a knife, trafficking paraphernalia and a sum of cash. The man — who RCMP said was on release order conditions issued on March 11 that included a 24-hour curfew related to charges including possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose — has been charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, failing to stop, assaulting a police officer with a weapon, as well as other charges. He was remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear in court in La Ronge on April 8.