RCMP respond to property damage, noise complaints after 500 people party in Red Deer County

WARNING: This story contains an image that may be disturbing to some readers. 

“Rowdy partygoers” kept Innisfail and Sundre RCMP officers busy in the Garrington Bridge area of Red Deer County over the weekend, with police estimating that 500 people showed up to the gathering.

Police responded to 11 calls between July 25 at 7 p.m. and July 26 at 7 a.m. in the rural area west of Bowden on Highway 587 near Range Road 43.

Those calls referenced damaged and stolen property, driving complaints, liquor offences, threats and weapon possession.

“While RCMP were responding to complaints and attempting to keep the peace, a Sundre RCMP vehicle had its window smashed out by an unknown individual,” police said Tuesday.

RCMP said Fish and Wildlife officers investigated a dead deer found near the party.

“Residents in the area expressed frustration to RCMP as they were kept awake by the noise of people partying and setting off fireworks all night long,” Mounties said.

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“One resident reports that the following day, there were still 40 vehicles in the area.”

When RCMP returned to the scene to survey the damage on Sunday, they “found human feces, toilet paper, garbage, empty alcohol containers, stolen traffic signs and COVID-19 social distancing signs littering the ground that had obviously been stolen from Innisfail.”

Police said they gave an unspecified number of people provincial tickets and conducted checkstops to stop impaired drivers.

Enforcement efforts are ongoing to keep the area safe and hopefully provide some peace to the people who live there, RCMP said, noting their dedication to prevention and public education as primary focuses.

“Further to this, RCMP are concerned with the criminal behaviour as well as the health concerns, which are obvious.”