By Shane Clausing (EverythingGP) and rdnewsNOW staff

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Two Red Deer men arrested following incident in Grande Prairie

Feb 4, 2021 | 1:16 PM

Two men from Red Deer are in police custody awaiting a bail hearing in relation to firearm offences in the Ridgevalley area on February 3.

Their alleged actions led to a police situation in the area and a hold and secure at Ridgevalley School.

Police say that at 7:48 a.m., Grande Prairie RCMP received a complaint of a suspicious vehicle that had become stuck in a field in the area of Range Road 264 and Township 705.

Both Grande Prairie RCMP rural officers and the Grande Prairie Police Dog Services responded to the complaint.

While RCMP were en route, they had learned the vehicle in the field had been set on fire and two suspects were observed fleeing the area on foot.

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When Mounties arrived at the scene, the RCMP police dogs initiated a track for the suspects who had gone into a wooded area in the field.

As they began to track the suspects, gunshots were heard. Officers were forced to retreat for the time being and additional resources and officers were called in.

Prior to additional resources arriving on the scene, one suspect ended up surrendering.

Once reinforcements arrived, officers contained the area for an hour. Eventually, the second suspect also surrendered and was taken into custody. There were no injuries reported.

Grande Prairie RCMP said on Thursday that Michael Russel Charles Stemmler, 31, and James Patrick Gosse, 41, both of Red Deer, are charged with the following:

· Arson
· Unauthorized possession of a firearm
· Careless use of a firearm
· Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
· Possession of a prohibited weapon
· Possession of stolen property over $5000 x 2

Each is scheduled to appear in Grande Prairie Provincial Court on Feb. 8.

The Grande Prairie RCMP rural officers, Grande Prairie RCMP PDS, Grande Prairie RCMP Crime Reduction Unit, Grande Prairie RCMP municipal members, Grande Prairie RCMP General Investigation officers and Valleyview RCMP officers all participated in the arrest.

“The relationship between the RCMP and the members of our communities is a partnership,” the detachment added on Thursday. “Residents are the eyes and ears, and reporting suspicious activity can often be a key step in contributing to the safety of our communities.”

(Shane Clausing/EverythingGP)