By Adam Ophus

Enough is Enough, residents say

Anger over rural crime boils over at meeting in Condor

Oct 30, 2019 | 10:54 AM

The recent attack of a mother of four at her Eckville area home spurred a community meeting Tuesday night to discuss rural crime.

More than 100 people attended the meeting at the Evergreen Community Hall in Condor to voice their concerns.

Nicole Safron, sister to Jolene Puffer who was the victim of last Thursday’s attack, shared the story of how two women were dropped off by a pickup truck in front of Puffer’s home carrying a blue duffel bag.

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Two men drove away through a barbed-wire fence and took off across a field.

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Puffer turned on an outside siren which made the women move away from the home and hide in a ditch. Puffer followed the women in her SUV.

The two women drug her out of her vehicle and began to beat her and even threatened to kill her. They stole Puffer’s vehicle and fled before eventually arrested in Red Deer after crashing it.

The scary incident prompted Tuesday’s meeting regarding recent crime sprees in the area, what police are doing about it, and what residents can do to help.

Clearwater County Reeve Tim Hoven helped facilitate the meeting. Sylvan Lake Staff Sergeant Andrew Shepherd and Rocky Mtn. House Staff Sergeant Christian Delisle spoke on behalf of RCMP.

“If an intruder enters my home, what should I do and not get in trouble with the police?” Hoven lead with the first question of the night.

“Our law in Canada focuses on not allowing people to serve their own justice. First and foremost is your safety, but it does not give you the right to enact as much force in response as you can. If you can leave the situation, we recommend that,” answered Delisle.

Tempers flared high with attendees claiming they don’t feel safe in their own homes, stating it can take police thirty minutes or more to respond to a call.

“Why can’t we defend ourselves,” some wondered while noting that so much of the crime is done by the same individuals going through a revolving door judicial system.

Delisle told the crowd that he understands their frustration and anger, and that with such a large area to cover they are doing what they can.

One person at the meeting went as far as saying that if something doesn’t start happening, police are going to find those individuals missing. The comment was met with loud applause from the crowd followed by more comments expressing anger and fear.

“Look, we all can’t just sell our homes and move, and we can’t do things that just ends up with police arresting us,” Hoven responded in attempts to lower tensions.

“I understand your feelings, but in this country we have a box that we have to stay in, and if you begin doing things outside of that, it will be you that gets in trouble,” Delisle warned.

Delisle was then inundated with various scenarios and situations of people asking when and where it would be okay to respond with force against a criminal.

His response was that every situation is different. If you feel your life is threatened, he explained, you are able to do what you can to get out of it.

Delisle told a story of a recent incident of a gentleman whose quad was being stolen. The man ran over and struck the thief with the butt end of a rifle after verbal warnings didn’t work. That would have been the end of it, Delisle said, but the man continued to strike the would-be thief while he was down and is now facing charges of his own.

The crowd continued to voice their feelings, shouting phrases such as “we should hunt them down,” which, whether or not they meant it, definitely got the point across that people have had enough.

RCMP representatives ended the meeting by saying there are rules residents must follow, and if they want change it has to happen on a higher level.

Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer and MLA Jason Nixon will be hosting the Rural Crime Tour in Rocky Mountain House next Thursday, Nov. 7 from 6-8 p.m. at the Lou Soppit Community Centre.