Heavy Police Presence in Bruderheim

Bruderheim residents saw an eventful day come to an end July 29 with the arrest of a 24-year-old man from Edmonton.

The drama began to unfold at 8:30 am.

Two summer students, employed with the Town of Bruderheim, were conducting maintenance at the Karol Maschmeyer arena when their town truck was stolen from in front of the building.

After reporting the incident to police, surveillance video was viewed, which showed an unknown number of suspects breaking into the vehicle and starting it without the use of the keys.

“We reported the truck being stolen and then other things started happening at around 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m.,” said Bruderheim Chief Administrative Officer, Patty Podoborozny.

She was unable to say how many suspects were viewed on the tape of the theft or comment as to other crimes that may have been committed throughout the day.

By 1 p.m. residents who were apart of the Everbridge Alert System had received a text message advising them that police were on the scene and requesting residents to remain inside their homes while K9 units searched for suspects. The text also indicated that too many scents from people about town would interfere with their search.

At 1:30 p.m. a police helicopter could be heard and seen flying overhead in search of suspects.

An additional text was sent by the Everbridge Alert System thanking residents for their cooperation, as well as indicating the matter had been resolved by 2 p.m.

Podoborozny also indicated the town truck, which had been stolen, was recovered near Elk Island National Park. The condition of the vehicle is unknown.

The Everbridge Alert System, not to be confused with the Alberta Emergency Alert, is local to Bruderheim and communicates emergency information to residents who have signed up for the free service.

For more information on how to sign yourself up for this service, visit Bruderheim.ca under the tab Public Safety.

Written by: Jana Semeniuk

Twitter @jana_semeniuk

news@threesixtyalberta.com