OPP Seize Rifle, Charge Three After Stolen Vehicle Strikes Cruiser Near Chatsworth
Two officers suffered minor injuries when an allegedly stolen vehicle hit a cruiser during the June 4 arrest, and police seized a .22-calibre rifle.
A 24-year-old Owen Sound man is in custody and two other people are out on conditions after Grey Bruce OPP charged all three in a firearm and stolen-vehicle investigation that began with a RIDE stop near Meaford last month, according to police.
Police laid the charges following a June 4 arrest at a residence on Grey-Bruce Line in Chatsworth Township, the OPP said in a news release issued June 9.
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The investigation started May 19 at about 1 a.m., when Grey Bruce OPP officers running a Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) program at 10th Concession and Grey Road 18 in Meaford determined that a driver who had entered the check was in breach of court-imposed conditions, the release says. Police say the driver fled in the vehicle as officers tried to make an arrest.
The Grey Bruce Community Street Crime Unit then took over the investigation, according to the OPP. On June 4, members of the Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) unit, the OPP West Region Emergency Response Team, the West Region OPP Canine Unit and the OPP Aviation Unit went to the Grey-Bruce Line residence.
A suspect tried to flee in a stolen vehicle that struck a police cruiser, police say, and two officers suffered minor injuries. The release says the person ran from the scene but was arrested after a short foot pursuit, and that two more people were arrested inside the vehicle. Officers seized a .22-calibre bolt-action rifle, according to the OPP.
The release does not say who owned the vehicle police describe as stolen, where or when it was reported stolen, or whether it was the same vehicle involved in the May 19 RIDE incident. It also does not identify which of the three accused was the driver who fled the RIDE check.
Kurtis Miller, 24, of Owen Sound, faces 10 charges, the OPP say: possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000; unauthorized possession of a firearm; possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized; occupant of a motor vehicle knowing a firearm was present; dangerous operation of a motor vehicle; two counts of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon; possession of a firearm contrary to a prohibition order; and two counts of failing to comply with a release order.
Joshua Kenny, 36, of South Bruce Peninsula, and an 18-year-old from Kincardine each face four charges, according to police: possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized, and occupant of a motor vehicle knowing a firearm was present. The OPP did not release the name of the 18-year-old.
All three were held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Owen Sound. Since then, Kenny and the 18-year-old have been released on court-ordered conditions, while Miller has been remanded in custody, the release says.
None of the charges has been tested in court.
The Grey Bruce OPP say their investigation is continuing. Anyone with information can call police at 1-888-310-1122, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (or cstip.ca) to remain anonymous, where tips may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
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