On March 22 shortly before 6 p.m., Fort Qu’Appelle RCMP received a complaint of a theft of gas and merchandise from a service station in Fort Qu’Appelle. A description of the two suspects and the vehicle was obtained and police confirmed the vehicle was stolen earlier in the day from Regina.
Approximately 90-minutes later a complaint was received of a suspicious vehicle in the RM of Abernethy that matched the description of the vehicle involved in the gas theft.
An officer observing traffic flow on Highway 310 north of Balcarres saw a vehicle driving in and out of farmyards. The officer followed the vehicle, which turned off the highway onto a gravel road. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the vehicle refused to stop. The road was a dead end and the suspect made a u-turn and avoided the officer’s attempt to block the road.
The officer disengaged as additional officers were in the area and a spike belt was utilized just north of Balcarres on Highway 310.
The spike belt was successful and deflated all four tires on the vehicle. The suspect vehicle continued to refuse to stop at speeds under 40 km/h through Balcarres. One female suspect jumped out of the moving vehicle and was arrested. The suspect vehicle came to a stop and the male driver was arrested without incident.
Thomas Kenneth Chartrand, 28, of Regina is in police custody. He appeared before a Justice of the Peace and further held to appear in a Regina court. He has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, theft under $5,000, dangerous operation of a motor, flight from a peace officer and driving while prohibited.
The female was later released from custody with no charges. She was not injured jumping from the vehicle.
