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Warrant issued for arrest of Lacombe man after wild crime spree

One man has been charged and another has a warrant for their arrest as Ponoka Mounties have linked the two to six separate “criminal actions” in the Lacombe and Ponoka areas.
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One man has been charged and another has a warrant for their arrest as Ponoka Mounties have linked the two to six separate “criminal actions” in the Lacombe and Ponoka areas.

The string of crimes started on Dec. 13, when Ponoka RCMP were called to the local General Motors dealership on a report a GMC Sierra was stolen from their lot. It was found near Bashaw after it crashed into a fence, disabling the vehicle.

Police saw the suspect flee the scene and members from the Ponoka, Bashaw and Stettler RCMP and Police Dog Services tracked the suspect to a nearby farm. A Dodge Ram was then stolen from the farm.

A day later at 3:45 a.m., Ponoka RCMP noticed a maroon truck northbound on 46th Street that failed to stop at a stop sign. When police attempted to stop the truck, it fled at an estimated speed of 190 km/h.

At 4:05 a.m., Ponoka RCMP were called to a rural property on Range Road 263 on a complaint of two males checking the doors of outbuildings. They left the scene in a Chevy truck. The complainant checked his property and believed the truck was north of his residence and told police it sounded like it was stuck.

Police found a maroon truck stuck in the snow, but it was abandoned by the suspects. The truck was reported stolen from Lacombe on Dec. 10. A stolen licence plate was found on the truck. Through investigation, police believe the suspects stole a Chevy truck after abandoning the maroon truck.

At 5:23 a.m., police learned of the theft of a white Ford truck from a Ponoka tow yard. The complainant said he attended the yard in response to an alarm and parked his vehicle in front of the gate. The white truck rammed through the gate and hit the complainant’s vehicle, damaging the truck and the gate. The white truck then reversed and drove through the fence on the east side of the yard.

At 6:06 a.m., police learned a white truck, matching the description of the one stolen from the tow yard, was stuck in a ditch near Ponoka. Police arrived and a male suspect ran into a nearby farm yard.

Police searched the yard and arrested a 19-year-old male from Joffre. Police said he was in possession of break and enter tools and a switchblade knife.

The 19-year-old faces 45 charges including three counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, three counts of trespass at night and 21 counts of failing to comply with conditions.

Police identified a second suspect through their investigation and have obtained a warrant to arrest Matthew Robert John MacDonald, 31, of Lacombe, on 14 charges including two counts of theft over $5,000.

Anyone with information of the whereabouts of MacDonald is asked to contact the Ponoka RCMP at 403-783-4472 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.tipsubmit.com.