Red Deer RCMP arrest 45 people in push to track down repeat offenders

Alberta RCMP arrested 45 people in Red Deer as part of a four-day sweep last week, executing 140 warrants and clearing 197 charges.

Members of the RCMP's local crime reduction team worked between June 19 and 22 to target repeat offenders with standing warrants linked to property or drug crimes.

Most offenders had warrants for failing to appear in court on top of their original crimes, and many face new charges, RCMP said.

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Red Deer has made headlines over the past few years for its high crime rate, and Maclean's magazinerecently named the city Canada's fifth most dangerous place to live the most dangerous in the province.

Red Deer RCMP Insp. GeraldGrobmeierdisputes the designation.

"I live in this community.I live here with my family. None of us feel unsafe. The persons crimes that we do have are usually people that know each other so to say that we're an unsafe city is an unfair statement," he told CBC News.

When the city's crime rate first began garnering national attention in 2016, RCMPcreated a new strategy Project Pinpoint to target frequent offenders.

"We're finally starting to see some of the impacts of the work we've been doing,"Grobmeiersaid.

Since then, RCMP have also created four crime reduction units, focusing on rural areas around the province.

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"Warrant round-ups are a regular and effective part of Pinpoint, the Red Deer RCMP's targeted crime reduction strategy. We have communicated to all the repeat offenders in Red Deer that as long as they continue to commit crimes, we will continue to put them before the courts," said Grobmeier in a release Friday.

"We are putting a significant dent in criminal activity in Red Deer and will continue to do so in the interests of reduced property and drug crime."

Police also collected $15,637 in unpaid traffic tickets, including$6,375 from a 20-year-old man.

A partial list of those arrested is below:

• Dustin Eugene Weiss, 24, was arrested on three warrants for not complying with his probation and conditions. He faces six new charges, including methamphetamine possession.
• Darrell Myshak, 42, was arrested on four warrants for 11 charges, including theft of a motor vehicle and breaking and entering. He faces two new charges, after he was found with a stolen truck.
• Alysha Andrew-Harris, 27, was arrested on five warrants for theft and failing to comply with possessions. She faces a new charge as police say she was found possessing what they believe to be crystal meth.
• Michael Madsen, 42, was arrested on four warrants for five charges, including resisting arrest, drug possession and committing an indecent act.
• Jessica Kirby Fedyk, 31, was arrested on 12 warrants for 14 charges including resisting an officer and not complying with probation and conditions.
• David Gallinger, 24, was arrested on five warrants for nine charges, including theft, uttering threats and failure to comply with conditions.
• Amber Lavallee, 24, was arrested for 12 warrants on 13 charges of theft and failure to comply with conditions.
• Moses Rianga, 29, was arrested on five warrants, including drug trafficking, drug possession and theft.
• Deren Sullivan, 47, was arrested on five warrants for eight charges, including drug trafficking and possession.
• Amanda Buckingham, 31, was arrested on three warrants for theft and failure to comply with conditions, and faces a new charge after police say she was found to be in possession of fentanyl.
• Haley Carpenter, 25, was arrested on one warrant for three charges of vehicle theft and one charge for possession of stolen property.
• Kiluya Nowdlaq, 28, was arrested on eight warrants for theft and failure to comply with conditions.

According to Red Deer RCMP, there were 25,340 personal and property crimes committed in 2017, up from 19,752 five years earlier.

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