Bonnyville RCMP are asking for the public's help identifying a suspicious male who attempted to get information from two young children earlier this week.
"On April 11, police were notified by a concerned citizen of a Facebook post on the Bonnyville Rant and Rave (page)," explained Sgt. Kim Hillier.
A post was made by a resident who said they stepped in after noticing a suspicious male in an older model two-door red car attempting to speak to two young girls who were walking home around noon on April 10.
The suspect is described as an older Caucasian male, medium build, in his early sixties, wearing a hat and a black jacket.
The incident wasn't reported to RCMP until the following day, on April 11.
"We hadn't been notified of any interaction between a suspicious person and a child prior to the posting on Facebook. We want to make it very clear that we don't monitor these types of pages or internet usage. If there's something of this nature, you need to report it to the police immediately," stressed Hillier. "We can't do a thorough investigation or follow-up and ensure the safety of the children in the community if we're learning these things through concerned citizens reading them online."
Anyone with information is asked the contact the Bonnyville RCMP at 780-343-7200.
Two break and enters linked
Two break and enters on April 9 have been connected by the vehicle used.
The first report came in at 8:37 a.m.
“We had a report of a break and enter to Precision Machining and Manufacturing,” Hillier noted, adding the company is located outside of town.
“The report was that culprits had broken in and stolen fuel. The vehicle that is related to this investigation also came up related to the second break and enter that occurred in the middle of the night on April 9," she continued.
The second incident took place at 3:30 a.m., when the suspects backed a flat deck truck into the west end door of the Bonnyville Esso on 50 Ave.
"It appears they stole cigarettes, food, and other consumable items,” detailed Hillier.
"Extremely distinctive" truck reported stolen
A white Ford F250 was stolen from Kal Tire overnight on April 10 after suspects entered the property through a hole in the fence.
This truck has been reported stolen out of the Bonnyville-area. Anyone with information should call the RCMP.
Hillier described the vehicle as "extremely distinctive."
“The rear back window of the canopy is probably smashed, as they backed out of the compound smashing the gate with the rear of the vehicle,” she expressed.
The white two-door truck has a canopy over the bed, and a business decal for Clean Up Services, Get Rid of It, featuring a large green frog.
The license plate on the vehicle is BZL 4756.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the detachment.
RCMP asking the public to call it in
With the warmer weather, RCMP are seeing an increase in criminal activity, and are asking the public to call in anything suspicious.
Hillier said, “We’ve had a few criminals out breaking into places. We’re doing extra patrols, but we need the community to be aware of any suspicious activity around closed businesses and buildings during the night. If vehicles shouldn’t be there, we prefer that you report it right away and let us do our jobs and get over there to have a look."
Head-butting a police officer ends in charges
A 25-year-old Bonnyville man learned the hard way not to head-butt RCMP after police were called to a fight in progress on 52 St.
"We located an extremely intoxicated group of men. A young man, 25-years-old from Bonnyville, was arrested. During the arrest and subsequent search, the male head-butted the constable searching him,” outlined Hillier. “The constable wasn’t injured, however, the male faces charges of assaulting a peace officer."
Warrant round-up ends in arrest
Riel Keith Paul ran, but he couldn't hide from police after a constable found him hiding in the bushes.
According to Hillier, last week a constable was executing warrants when they attended a house in Kehewin to arrest a 22-year-old male.
The suspect fled on foot into the bushes, but was later located by RCMP.
Culprits couldn't get in
On April 11, police were notified that a rural residence had become the victim of an attempted break and enter.
It was almost 6 p.m. when the property owner called it in, and although the suspects weren't present, there were signs of attempted entry.
