Mounties nab wanted man spotted in stolen truck in north Red Deer

Red Deer RCMP have charged a man who fled police in a stolen truck Thursday night, then abandoned the truck and was located by Police Dog Services as he attempted to hide in a marshy area off Johnstone Drive. 

At 11:30 p.m., RCMP on patrol in downtown Red Deer located a stolen Dodge Ram as it drove on Ross Street. The truck fled north on Taylor Drive at a high speed, and police did not pursue for public safety reasons.

Police intercepted the truck on Orr Drive and disabled it with a tire deflation device, then tracked the truck from a distance as it continued to drive on two rims. The truck was abandoned in an industrial area on Johnstone Drive and Police Dog Services tracked the suspect from there, successfully locating him in a marshy area nearby.

At the time of his arrest, 38-year-old Lance Michael Bilsky was wanted on two outstanding warrants and was found to be in possession of what is believed to be methamphetamine and two credit cards that had been reported stolen on April 24. The truck had been reported stolen out of Red Deer on April 28, and the license plate had been reported stolen out of Red Deer in a separate incident on April 29.