WESTLOCK — The Westlock RCMP recently led an initiative to “round up” offenders with outstanding warrants in the Westlock area, arresting a total of seven individuals and executing 23 outstanding warrants.
The initiative was carried out May 7-8 with the assistance of the RCMP’s Eastern Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit (EAD CRU), as well as analysts and administrative support personnel.
“A ‘warrant round-up' allows us to proactively search for known or prolific offenders in our area in a more efficient manner,” said Cpl. Riley Sutherland of the Westlock RCMP.
The most serious warrant to be executed was associated with Westlock resident Thomas Durward Thompson, who is facing charges of sexual assault, sexual interference and assault.
Thompson, 52, was brought before a justice of the peace with an additional charge of failing to appear in court and released on conditions. He was ordered to appear before the Alberta Court of Justice in Westlock on Wednesday, June 5.
The person who was arrested on the most warrants was Fawcett resident Trina Dawn Chobotar. She had warrants out of Westlock, Drumheller, Oyen and Coronation, and is facing numerous charges ranging from possession of stolen property over $5,000 to theft of a motor vehicle to possession of a stolen credit card.
Chobotar, 30, was brought before a justice of the peace with an additional charge of failing to appear in court and was remanded into custody.
In the process of locating the seven individuals, officers charged an additional female for failing to comply and issued Traffic Safety Act tickets for several offences, including driving while suspended. One of these tickets resulted in the seizure of an offender’s vehicle. The initiative also netted two extra days of patrols.
“We will keep working towards finding those out on warrants and helping to enforce the laws that keep us safe,” added Sutherland.
If you have information regarding the whereabouts of a person you believe has warrants for their arrest, please call the Westlock RCMP at (780) 349-4491 or your local police.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you may contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or go online at www.P3Tips.com.
You may also use the P3 Tips app available through both the Apple App and Google Play stores.
To report crime online or to access RCMP news and information, you can also download the Alberta RCMP app available through both stores.
