The arrest of a man accused of killing his father in the Rimbey area has shaken the community.
“The reaction is that we are a small community. Things like that happens in cities, they don’t happen in small communities,” said Rimbey Mayor Rick Pankiw.
“This just goes to prove that anything can happen.
“Of course, the town feels for the family, that’s for sure,” he said. “We never like to see that happen anywhere, never mind in our small community.”
Rimbey RCMP said Wednesday that Patrick William Freeman, 28, of Sylvan Lake, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his father, Patrick Alexander Freeman.
Police said they responded to a call in Lacombe County about 4 p.m. on Monday. The father was found with “significant” injuries and was taken to hospital, where he later died.
The son made his first appearance in Red Deer provincial court on Wednesday by closed-circuit TV from the remand centre.
He was ordered to return to court in Rimbey on Aug. 2. Freeman remains in custody.
The Freemans are a long-time farming family in the Bentley area. The family homesteaded near Bluffton in the early 1900s, but moved to the Bentley area decades ago, said one area resident.