A man wanted on numerous outstanding warrants evaded RCMP, who surrounded an Eastglen residence for an hour and a half Wednesday afternoon in hopes of apprehending him.
All on-duty officers were called to the residence around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 4 after an anonymous tip earlier in the day placed 28-year-old Curtis Paul Powder in the home, possibly in possession of a weapon.
RCMP barricaded the street, but eventually left the residence empty handed.
“We know this person may have been in possession of a firearm so we, of course, took the necessary precautions to get into the house,” said Westlock RCMP Cpl. Dave Casey.
A warrant had been issued by a justice in Edmonton giving RCMP permission to enter the residence, Casey noted.
Powder is wanted on a handful of charges, including possession of stolen property, possession of a controlled substance and flight from RCMP, he said, adding more charges will likely be added when the current investigation concludes.
“We had patrols of the area just prior to (us surrounding the home), so we had seen him in a vehicle outside and when we cordoned off the area, he probably took off at that point not coming back but we believe he was inside,” Casey said. “Of course, the member (that saw Powder in the vehicle) wasn’t going to approach alone because of the reports of the firearms.”
Upon entering the residence, RCMP members were required as per the warrant to announce their presence and asked anyone inside the residence to come forward.
“A girl came upstairs who was not related to those that were in the house. She was taken into custody and later released and we found a second female in the basement in the bedroom down there and she was taken into custody and later released,” he said, adding that neither individual would provide information on Powder’s whereabouts.
Although Casey said Powder fled the area, the vehicle he was seen riding in prior to the police barricade was seized by RCMP.
RCMP obtained a warrant to search the vehicle for firearms and the RCMP Forensic Identification Section from Edmonton attended and processed the vehicle on Friday, Jan. 6 and additional charges are pending.
Following the initial incident, RCMP surrounded a second Westlock residence to search for Powder.
“We know some of the people that he may have run to to look to hide, so we went over and started banging on some doors,” he said. Powder was not found at the residence.
Casey said Powder is “definitely” believed to still be in Westlock.
On Friday, Jan. 6 at around 3:45 a.m., RCMP stopped a vehicle near 105 Street and 102 Ave. and an adult male was seen fleeing the vehicle on foot.
Loni Nicole Byer, 22, was a passenger in the vehicle and was one of the females escorted from the Eastglen resident earlier in the week. She was found to be in breach of recognizance and in possession of a controlled substance. She was subsequently charged.
If anyone sees Powder, they are advised to not approach him and to contact RCMP immediately by calling 911, the detachment at 780-349-4491 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
