| |
| Release Date: |
August 4, 2009 |
| |
| Offence Date: |
November 10 and 11, 2007 |
| |
| Item: |
Night Lighting |
| |
| Description: |
Carberry, Neepawa and Boissevain
Districts Natural Resource Officers were
conducting a night patrol using both air
and ground units. The purpose of the
patrol was to detect and apprehend
individuals poaching at night with lights.
At approximately 12:50 a.m. November 11,
2007 Officers observed a spotlight
shining from a vehicle onto several
parcels of private land northwest of
Cypress River, Manitoba. Three high
powered rifle shots were then heard from
the suspect vehicle’s location. Natural
Resource Officers called for the
aircraft to conduct aerial surveillance
while the officers moved into position
to apprehend the suspect vehicle. When
the officers activated the patrol unit's
emergency lights to signal the suspect
vehicle to stop, the vehicle fled from
the scene at a high rate of speed. A
pursuit commenced at this point and
continued for approximately 20km. The
aircraft with Officers on board was
keeping visual continuity of the
pursuit. At one point the vehicle was
speeding down a highway with no
headlights on, only daytime running
lights. Near the end of the pursuit the
suspect vehicle lights were shut off and
the vehicle drove into a cultivated
field. It then turned back toward the
road surface.
As the suspect vehicle approached the
road surface, without headlights, it
struck the steep grade from the field to
the road surface. The suspect vehicle
careened over top of the road surface
and came to rest in the field on the
opposite side of the road. When
officers arrived at the scene they
observed 3 individuals who were in
various states of injury. The RCMP and
ambulances were contacted for
assistance. Officers secured the scene
and began to administer first aid.
The Manitoba Conservation Canine Team
was on the scene and conducted a search
of the area, finding two more suspects
that were hiding in tall grass near the
accident site. All five suspects were
transported to the Glenboro hospital
with non-life threatening injuries.
NRO’s seized the heavily damaged suspect
vehicle which contained three recently
killed whitetail deer. A time of death
analysis conducted by Officers indicated
the carcasses were recently shot and killed.
Further investigation revealed a kill
site on private land in the area where
the accused had been observed hunting.
Hair and blood samples were collected
from the three deer seized and from the
kill site. The samples were forwarded
to the Natural Resources DNA Profiling
and Forensic Centre at Trent University
in Peterborough, Ontario. The Centre was
requested to compare the deer samples to
the kill site samples. The Centre
determined that one of the three seized
deer was a positive match to the samples
from the kill site on the private land.
As a result of plea bargains the three
adults males involved plead guilty to
“Hunt vertebrate animal at night with
lights”. On March 12, 2009, one was
fined $1202.50. On May 21, 2009 a second
adult was fined $1000.00 and the third
adult defaulted on a $1000.00 fine and
thus served 7 days in custody. Charges
of hunt private land without permission
of the landowner and illegal possession
of big game were stayed.
The two young offenders had all their
charges stayed by the crown attorney.
All seized items, including a 1990 Chev
4x4 truck, 3 male whitetail deer,
spotlight, several knives and other
hunting equipment were forfeited to the
crown.
|
| |
| back |
| |
|
