On March 14, Loon Lake RCMP conducted a traffic safety check stop on Island Lake First Nation.
RCMP stated that the driver of one vehicle stopped was unable to provide a driver’s license to officers when requested to do so and further investigation determined the name he provided to the officers was false.
Officers then located and seized a large quantity of ID and financial cards that did not belong to the occupants of the vehicle, a sawed-off firearm, ammunition, a small amount of crystal methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
The driver and passenger of the vehicle were arrested.
Further investigation determined that a number of the ID and financial cards had been reported as stolen to various Alberta RCMP detachments.
28-year-old Jarett Scanie and 30-year-old Geneva Williams, both from Cold Lake, are each facing multiple firearms and unauthorized use of credit card information charges.
Scanie has been remanded into custody until his next appearance in court in Loon Lake on March 20. Williams is scheduled to appear in Loon Lake Provincial Court on April 17.
“Traffic check stops are an effective tool to help keep a community safe. We all know that they help officers take unsafe drivers off the street – and we did issue three roadside suspensions for alcohol or cannabis use that night. It’s also important to highlight that check stops also help us detect and disrupt criminal activity,” says Sgt. Earl Keewatin from the Loon Lake RCMP. “This one resulted in us recovering dozens of pieces of stolen ID and financial cards – and removing an illegal firearm from our community.”