Pair charged in 2021 death of Indian Head RCMP Officer
Court proceedings continue for Alphonse Traverse and Marlene Pagee, the two individuals from Winnipeg who are charged with the death of RCMP Cst. Shelby Patton.
Early on June 12, 2021, Indian Head RCMP received a report that a stolen pick-up truck from Manitoba was in Wolseley. Cst. Patton drove to Wolseley and initiated a traffic stop on Sherbrooke Street, near Front Street. Cst. Patton was struck while outside his police vehicle and RCMP received an urgent dispatch that he was in cardiac arrest. The suspects fled but Alphonse Traverse and Marlene Pagee were apprehended near Francis shortly afterward. Members of the public performed first aid for Cst. Patton until EMS and police arrived at the scene in Wolseley, but the officer was declared deceased at the scene. He was only 26-years-old and had worked at the Indian Head RCMP Detachment since 2015.
Traverse and Pagee had their first court appearance two days after their arrest. Both were initially charged with manslaughter but, following further investigation, these charges were withdrawn in November 2021 and new charges were laid. Traverse was charged with one count of first-degree murder and Pagee was charged with one count of accessory after the fact to murder. Additional charges for both individuals include failure to stop after an accident resulting in death, theft of a motor vehicle, and possession of stolen property over $5,000. Pagee was also charged with possession of a controlled substance. In addition, both were charged with breach of undertaking: Pagee for possession of the controlled substance, and Traverse for leaving the Province of Manitoba.
Since then, Pagee has been released on bail but Traverse remains in custody. There have been several court hearings for both, as officials work through the two cases. Pagee has another docket appearance scheduled for March 30 in Regina, but no trial date has been set for her.
A preliminary hearing was held for Traverse several months ago and a jury trial for the murder charge is scheduled for March 11 to 22, 2024. Traverse’s case was reviewed at the Court of King’s Bench in Regina on March 24 and another pre-trial hearing has been set for April 21. The prosecutor assigned to Traverse and Pagee’s case said he anticipates Traverse’s file will continue to be included in regular pre-trial hearings over the next several months in preparation for the trial in 2024.
