ATHABASCA – The Athabasca RCMP have seen a jump in calls for service as the weather warms up.
Usually averaging around 160 calls over two weeks, the detachment hit 178 calls in the last two weeks of June and broke the 200 mark with 212 calls in the first two weeks of July, said Cpl. Dan Fenton. The calls included 33 charges laid, some to minors, and Fenton added part of the increase has been to non-residents who are staying at many of the lakes in the region.
“Absolutely, we’re getting called out there (to various lakes) just about daily,” he said.
Of the 33 charges laid between July 1-15, 18 were criminal, and seven were traffic. Forty-one calls for services are still under investigation, 57 have been cleared by departmental discretion, 39 had insufficient evidence and 88 were completed.
Fenton provided a few details on the four assaults that took place during that time period.
A 19-year-old Athabasca man was charged with assault with a weapon. Complainants reported he threatened them with a knife and struck one of them with his fist.
A 30-year-old man from Edmonton was arrested and charged with assault in a domestic dispute while camping at an area lake.
A 28-year-old Calling Lake man, was arrested for assault after a fight between four people. Two people were arrested for the fight but only the Calling Lake man was charged.
A 24-year-old Athabasca man was charged with assault on an older male familiar to him.
Fenton added a minor was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident during an incident at Island Lake and that one person was charged with an impaired and three more with liquor offences.
He also confirmed a man at the Grand Union Hotel was transported to hospital as a result of an overdose last week, but as far as he knew, the man was recovering and no charges were laid.
Emergency services, including ambulance, firefighters and RCMP were called to the hotel early in the morning July 14.
"Yesterday (July 14) morning he was he was okay, but it was nip and tuck for a while," Fenton said.
Heather Stocking, TownandCountryToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @HLSox
