An 18-year-old man wanted in Quebec for a laundry list of charges including robbery and kidnapping was caught in Nelson this month.
Officers were investigating an unrelated matter when they went to a home and found an unsecured door. After knocking “numerous” times they entered to “ensure no crime had occurred and there was no need for police or any medical concerns.”
They found a man who provided a name that proved to be false and soon discovered that he was wanted in Quebec for robbery, kidnapping, forcible confinement, pointing a firearm, possession of a weapon, fleeing from police, and had escape from jail.
Sgt. Dino Falcone told 103.5 Juice FM the man had only been in town for a few days and they had no indication he was here.
“Not at all. He was only here for a couple of days basically couch surfing. It was really a stroke of luck that we came across him.”
The man was arrested and jailed pending the arrival of officers from Quebec to return him to that province to face his outstanding charges.
Falcone said the man cannot be named because the offences were committed while he was still a youth. He has 33 criminal convictions.
He wasn’t the only interprovincial fugitive Nelson police caught this month: the RCMP also tipped them that a man wanted on several warrants in Alberta for drug trafficking and breaching court orders might be in town.
The next day an officer recognized him downtown and arrested him. He was taken to the Nelson RCMP and returned to Alberta.
Falcone said while they arrest people wanted in other jurisdictions from time to time, usually the other provinces are reluctant to pay to have them sent back.
In these cases, however, they did so due to the seriousness of the offences.
Pair charged in theft
Meanwhile, a 25-year-old man and 20-year-old woman are facing theft charges after Nelson police pulled over a suspected drunk driver downtown early Monday.
They discovered that both the driver and passenger were wanted in Vernon. The man also had outstanding warrants from Alberta and was under a no-contact order with the woman.
While the couple was in custody, police received a complaint from a local store of a possible theft the previous evening. The store provided surveillance tapes that led to additional charges for the pair.
A bail hearing was held the following morning and the man was remanded in custody until Thursday. He was taken to Vernon for an initial court appearance and is also scheduled to be in Nelson court facing charges of theft under $5,000 and three counts of breach of recognizance.
His partner was released on strict conditions and is due in court in Vernon on Thursday. She’ll be in Nelson court on April 28, also charged with theft under $5,000.
Knife-wielding man arrested
A 33-year-old man was arrested Sunday afternoon after police were called about someone waving a knife in the Railtown district.
They located a suspected immediately and arrested him without incident. Police are recommending charges of uttering death threats and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. The suspect was released on several strict conditions and is due in court June 16.