A St. Albert man is facing criminal charges after breaking into a Canmore business and stealing a valuable polar bear skin.
On Jan. 4 at 12:30 a.m. RCMP received a report of a suspicious male in downtown Canmore. The man was seen carrying a bear-skin rug and was located by police.
Upon investigating, officers found the man was responsible for a break and enter and theft of the polar bear skin, valued at approximately $30,000, from the Shoppe We Luv on Main Street.
Sgt. Ryan Currie characterized the man’s actions as impulsive, saying he had a few drinks and may have been trying to impress his girlfriend.
“From what we understand it was more of a dumb act,” Currie said. “This guy doesn’t have a criminal record, it was somewhat random.”
Canmore RCMP also responded to a dangerous driving complaint at 2 p.m. on Jan. 1 that resulted in a short pursuit on the Trans-Canada Highway.
The suspect vehicle was reported to be travelling westbound near Canmore at a high rate of speed, swerving and passing on the shoulder.
Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, however, it did not stop and trying to evade police it struck another vehicle on the highway The vehicle continued onto Highway 93 towards Jasper and struck a Lake Louise RCMP cruiser in the process. It was eventually stopped by officers in Jasper and four suspects were taken into custody. Numerous charges are being considered.
