By Sheldon Spackman

Before The Courts

Trial date set for man charged following police pursuits last summer

Feb 26, 2021 | 11:34 AM

A trial date has now been set for the second of two people charged in a sequence of police pursuits throughout central Alberta last summer that included shots being fired at RCMP.

Kenton Charles Butters, 32, is scheduled for trial in Red Deer provincial court on Apr. 22, the same day as his co-accused, 29-year-old Alexander Michael Talbot.

Butters faces 12 counts out of Stettler and eight more out of Blackfalds in relation to the August 2020 incidents, while Talbot faces four counts out of Stettler.

The incidents began at 11:06 p.m. on Aug. 12 when RCMP in Sylvan Lake were advised by Calgary Police Service (CPS) that a stolen vehicle was in their area. Mounties say the vehicle travelled through Lacombe Police jurisdiction at a high rate of speed and information was relayed between Lacombe Police and RCMP.

The vehicle was later located by Blackfalds RCMP. However, when it failed to stop for police, a pursuit began but was soon terminated.

Individuals aged 55 and over

Central Alberta Older Adult Employment Strategy Assessment Project full report released

13h ago

UPDATE

Red Deer Polytechnic confirms student death on-campus

17h ago

retrofitting building

Carnival Cinemas applies to rezone for residential development

18h ago

RCMP say the vehicle was again located and a spike belt was used. The vehicle is then said to have entered a rural property east of Lacombe where the occupants stole another truck that was on the property and fled. The original stolen vehicle was abandoned.

Once again, another pursuit began which saw a Police Dog Services (PDS) truck struck by bullet rounds believed to be discharged from the suspects in the stolen truck. No police or public were hit by any of the bullets.

Mounties say the RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) was then deployed to assist in the apprehension of the suspects.

The vehicle was tracked to an area near Erskine, where containment was set up by RCMP. Shortly after, police received information that two other vehicles had just been stolen from a property in the area. Again, spike belts were used and both stolen vehicles were successfully stopped near Highway 12 and Range Road 202.

The ERT took both suspects into custody at 3:47 a.m. on Aug. 13.

Mounties say one firearm was recovered from the vehicles and was confirmed stolen during a previous home invasion.

Butters was said to be unlawfully at-large and wanted on a Canada Wide Warrant at the time of the incident.

RCMP say their investigation also tied Butters to a home invasion which occurred in Caroline on Aug. 10 where multiple suspects had entered a residence in that incident and assaulted two occupants inside.