Clown masks seized with sawed-off shotgun, submachine gun in central Alberta traffic stops

Two recent traffic stops near Innisfail, Alta., turned up a submachine gun and a loaded sawed-off shotgun, police say.

The firstincidenthappened onDec. 28 on Highway 54.

Officers stopped a vehicle and in searching it found a loaded sawed-off shotgun, ammunition, clown face masks, break-in tools and a controlled substance,RCMPsaid in a release.

Taylor Curl, 29, from Red Deer, was charged with multiple offences, including unauthorized possession of a firearm,possession of a firearm with a tampered serial number, and possession of a controlled substance.

3 others charged in separate incident

On Jan. 1, officers noticed a prohibited gun magazine in plain view inside a vehicle they had stopped on Range Road 25 in Red Deer County.

A search of the vehicle turned up what police described as aSuomi M-31"semi-automatic submachine gun" as well astwo loaded magazines and other ammunition.

Jeromy Arsenault, 25, and Steven Matson, 34, from Rimbey, andKatelin Savard, 26, from Innisfail, were each charged with several firearms offences.

Innisfail is about 30 kilometres south of Red Deer.

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