Randy Vanmackelberg accused of pointing gun at trial witness

The farmer suing notorious city council regularOscar Fechis facing several criminal charges after beingaccused of intimidating a witness.

RCMPalsosay he is well-known to law enforcement.

Randy Omer Vanmackleberg, 51, is charged with uttering threats, unlawfully pointing a firearm and intimidation of a witness.

RCMP say officers executed a search warrant on a rural property near Balzac where they arrested Vanmackelberg and seized a number of firearms.

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The farmer has several charges before the courts right now, including mischief to property over $5,000.

On Friday, a witness who is supposed to testify at an upcoming trial called police, telling investigators someone had pointed a gun at him, according to Const. MattGervais.

"He felt intimidated and he felt that he was being intimidated from providing information moving forward," saidGervais.

Several firearms were found in the Balzac home, according to police.

Vanmackelberg issuingFech, a retired construction contractor, for more than $7 million, arguing Fech failed to pay him a percentage of a major land sale the two had agreed on.

Fech, a regular critic at Calgary city council meetings, sold 129 hectares of land in the northeastto developerGenstar Titleco in November 2012for $75.5 million.

Fech and Vanmackelbergmade arrangements in May2012 for the farmer to lease the land. They agreed Vanmackelberg would harvest and sell barley on the land, spray and sow the fieldsand fix fences on the property, according to the statement of claim filed in the case.

The lawsuit argues Vanmackelberg has only been paid $500 so far and is owed $7,499,500 and that Fech has acknowledged on several occasions that he is in debt to the man who leased the land.

None of the allegations in the statement of claim hasbeen proven in court.Vanmackelbergwillappear in court on Thursday.