Two Men Charged with Drug and Weapons Offenses After Trying to Evade Police
Two men from the Montreal Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan are facing drug and weapons charges after they tried to flee from police by running into the bush and wading across a river while wearing no shirts or shoes.
The incident occurred on Tuesday at about 4:30 p.m., when Waskesiu/Montreal Lake RCMP officers determined that a wanted man was at a home on the Montreal Lake Cree Nation. When officers approached the residence, two men ran out of the home and into a vehicle. Officers blocked the vehicle from leaving, but the men then ran into the woods and waded across a river.
Officers pursued the men on foot and eventually found them hiding in the bush. The men were arrested and taken into custody. Police said the two men appeared to be suffering from exposure to the elements and they were provided first aid by Saskatchewan RCMP’s emergency medical response team.
During the arrests, officers seized approximately 3.5 grams of crack-cocaine and a large sum of cash in one of the male’s possessions. A subsequent search of the SUV the males tried to flee in turned up a loaded shotgun with a defaced serial number, ammunition, 20 grams of methamphetamine, two batons, a can of bear spray and trafficking paraphernalia.
Tyrese Smith, 23, and Craig McDonald, 32, face several charges including two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, firearm charges and resisting arrest.
Police learned that Smith was also wanted on a Canada-wide warrant from Correctional Service Canada for breach of statutory release conditions, and from Saskatoon Police Service for being unlawfully at large.
“These males, one on a Canada-wide warrant and one just released from jail a couple of weeks ago, were determined to evade police. They ran — with no shirts or shoes on — into a thick wooded area, even crossing a frigid river in an attempt to avoid arrest,” said Insp. Jeff Smoliak from Saskatchewan RCMP’s Saskatchewan enforcement response team.
“We have the investigational knowledge and technology to locate individuals, even in rugged terrain. Through the teamwork of Waskesiu/Montreal Lake RCMP, multiple Saskatchewan RCMP units, as well as Saskatoon Police Service’s Air Support Unit, the males were arrested, and an illegal firearm and illicit drugs were removed from the community of Montreal Lake.”
Both men appeared in Prince Albert provincial court on April 25.
