A bizarre incident west of Edmonton involving alleged porch pirates, a stolen vehicle with a dog inside, and good Samaritans being bear sprayed has resulted in RCMP laying a lengthy list of charges.
According to a news release from Parkland County RCMP, a man and a woman in the same vehicle followed a delivery truck to a rural home near Sandhills Drive — south of Spruce Grove in the Graminia area — on the afternoon of Dec. 15.
The two reportedly stole a package after it was dropped off at the home’s doorstep, but while attempting to leave the property, got stuck in the snow at the end of the driveway.
Police said the resident of the home came out to help them, along with a neighbour in their vehicle who stopped to assist as well, which is when the homeowner noticed her package was in the backseat of the getaway vehicle.
When she confronted the man, police said the suspect admitted he took the package and then sprayed the woman and her neighbour with bear spray.
The man then reportedly pulled the neighbour from their vehicle and sped off with the neighbour’s dog in the backseat. The female suspect was left behind and arrested by RCMP, who responded to the robbery complaint just before 1 p.m.
Police said a large quantity of methamphetamine and a firearm were found inside the suspect vehicle stuck in the snow.
The dog was found unharmed later that day by Spruce Grove enforcement, and the two victims were treated for minor injuries caused by the bear spray. The neighbour’s stolen vehicle was also recovered that same day.
Spruce Grove resident Alexandre Carriere, 30, was arrested in Nisku on Dec. 28. Police said he was found with bear spray, a machete and a cattle prod when he was arrested.
He is facing 18 charges including robbery, theft, assault with a weapon, possession for the purpose of trafficking methamphetamine and resisting arrest. He has been remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear in Stony Plain Provincial Court on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old female suspect is being charged with theft. Police said she cannot be named because her court documents are in the process of being sworn. She is scheduled to be in court on Jan. 27.
Parkland County is directly west of Edmonton.