Southern Alberta man charged after animals in distress seized

A 44-year-old Mountain View County man is facing a host of charges after police seized six stolen trucks, firearms and other items including 56 dogs in distress on a rural property Tuesday.

Officers from Didsbury and Airdrie RCMP detachments, the RCMP Southern Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit (SAD CRU), and the RCMP Auto Theft Unit executed a search warrant on the property April 23.

Police seized six stolen trucks, four utility trailers, an ATV, an RV, two flat deck trailers, two shotguns, a bolt action rifle, two .22 calibre rifles, thousands of rounds of ammunition, six industrial heaters, and a mountain bike.

Michael McGill, 44, a resident of Mountain View County, faces charges of property obtained by crime over $5,000, failure to comply with a release order and unauthorized possession of a firearm.

He has been remanded in custody pending a court appearance in Alberta Court of Justice in Airdrie today.

• RELATED: RCMP lay charges after stolen truck stopped in Mountain View County

Asked by the Albertan, RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney could not immediately say whether the items seized other than the trucks are stolen property. 

During the raid on Tuesday, officers also discovered numerous animals in distress on the property, including 56 dogs of various breeds, 10 sheep, nine llamas, four chickens and three geese.

The investigation in to the welfare of the animals is being conducted by Alberta SPCA.

Tuesday’s raid came a day after police arrested a male and seized stolen property on Monday.

“Officers with the Southern Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit were investigating property crime in the Mountain View County when they observed a white GMC Sierra,” said Slaney. 

“The truck had an obstructed licence plate and was towing a flat deck trailer and a skid steer. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle.

“As a result of this traffic stop, it was determined that the GMC Sierra had been stolen out of Crossfield, the black tilt deck trailer had been stolen out of Calgary, and the Caterpillar skid steer had been stolen from Okotoks.”

Clayton Whaling, 43, a resident of Foothills County, was arrested and charged with three counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5000.

After a Judicial Interim Release Hearing, Whaling was released for Alberta Court of Justice on May 23, 2024, in Airdrie.