LAC LA BICHE - A Lac La Biche County peace officer suffered minor injuries after being dragged alongside a vehicle that attempted to escape from a traffic stop on Monday, May 12.
On May 19 Lac La Biche RCMP formally issued five charges against John Joseph Patenaude 48, including assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, obstructing a peace office, flight from police, dangerous driving, possession of property obtained by crime and driving while unauthorized.
Lac La Biche RCMP Corp. Roxanne Genereaux says the peace officer had pulled over a vehicle on Main Street at approximately 1035 that night, but during the exchange, the driver of the vehicle drove away, "dragging the peace officer a short distance."
The incident sparked a pursuit that wound south of Lac La Biche and involved Lac La Biche RCMP, peace officers and police from the Cold Lake area. Police say that following the downtown traffic stop, they spotted the vehicle driving south on Highway 36. The vehicle would not stop and a pursuit began. The chase ended east of Highway 36 on Highway 55 after police used a spike belt to slow down the fleeing motorist.
"Responding Lac La Biche RCMP members successfully deployed a tire deflation device. The vehicle continued driving on flat tires before going into the ditch off of Highway 55," said Genereaux.
Cold Lake's regional police dog service assisted in the arrest of the driver a short time after it went into the ditch.
Patenaude has been remanded into custody and will be appearing in Lac La Biche Provincial Court on May 21, 2020.
The Lac La Biche County Peace Officer suffered minor injuries and was released from hospital that night.
The pursuit was one of two that Lac La Biche area police were dealing with over the last week.
Man escapes from box of stolen truck, suspect caught after chase
After responding to a complaint of a suspicious person walking along Highway 36 near Kikino, last Saturday night Lac La Biche RCMP learned the man had jumped from the box of his truck after another man had allegedly bear-sprayed him and put him into the box before driving away.
RCMP say that after treating the alleged victim at about 11 pm, they located the suspect truck — which wouldn't stop, forcing a pursuit that rolled through some residential areas of the Lac La Biche hamlet. A spike belt was used to bring the chase to a halt, but not before police say the driver turned the vehicle towards an RCMP member.
Cason Monias, 18, of Heart Lake is facing charges of forcible confinement, assault with a weapon, flight from police, assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, possession of property obtained by crime and dangerous operation of a vehicle, assault and six counts of failing to comply with court orders. Monias is also facing violation tickets for driving an uninsured vehicle, driving a vehicle while unauthorized and driving a vehicle without registration.
Monias was brought before a Justice of the Peace after his arrest and has been remanded into custody. He is scheduled to appear in St. Paul Provincial Court on May 21.
