Nearly 20 charges have been laid against a man and woman believed to be linked to a robbery in Gleneagles earlier this week and a crime spree that included Didsbury, Airdirie and Rocky View County.
Nearly 20 charges have been laid against a man and woman believed to be linked to a robbery in Gleneagles earlier this week and a crime spree that included Didsbury, Airdirie and Rocky View County.
The pair were located in by the Calgary Police Service when they were alerted a stolen vehicle was entering the city. The police helicopter, HAWCS, tracked the vehicle and after seven hours of monitoring the man and woman were apprehended at an apartment complex in the 2000 block of 11 Avenue S.W at around 6 p.m.
Police have charged 20-year-old William Riley Gossen of Calgary and 18-year-old Michaila Mitchell also of Calgary with the following charges stemming from the incident which occurred in Airdrie on July 27, involving the stolen vehicle: Unauthorized possession of a firearm or prohibited weapon in a motor vehicle; Possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized; Pointing a firearm; Uttering Threats to cause death or bodily harm; Robbery with a restricted (or prohibited) firearm; Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose; Theft of a motor vehicle; Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle; Flight from police; Using a firearm in the commission of an offence. William Gossen also faces a charge of Possession of a Firearm Contrary to an Order.
In relation to the Cochrane break and enter which occurred on July 27, the pair have been charged with Robbery with a restricted (or prohibited) firearm, Pointing a firearm, Break and enter a dwelling house and commit robbery, Uttering Threats to cause death or bodily harm, Theft under $5,000 and Possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized.
Both subjects also face the following charges stemming from the incident which took place in Airdire on July 26: Break and enter a dwelling house and commit robbery, Theft of a motor vehicle, Possession of property obtained by crime and Flight from police.
Below is how the story unfolded Wednesday morning.
A Cochrane family had a harrowing experience when a man - who has been connected to a regional crime spree - entered their garage and told the homeowner he had a gun and threatened to use it.
“(My husband) was going to work in the morning when he saw a fellow in our garage, he had his arms full (of stolen items) and they had words of exchange, knowing my husband probably using some very colourful language. And my husband knows martial arts, so he was getting ready to take care of the thief when the thief said he had a gun and would use it, ” said one of the homeowners, who did not want to be identified in order to protect her family.
Cochrane RCMP responded to the complaint of the robbery in Gleneagles Estates on Wednesday at approximately 7:30 a.m. Police reported that the garage attached to the house was not pried open but it “appeared the door had been left open. ”
The husband caught the thief in the act while his wife and two daughters were in the house. After yelling at the thief, the culprit dropped some of the items he had in his arms and ran to a waiting vehicle.
The thief stole a variety of sporting equipment, including a bear-hunting bow, a Gerber brush-cutting tool (machette) with a black sheath, a rifle-style pellet gun and a soft bow case containing a bow and practice arrows.
The homeowner said she did not know what had happened until her husband called her when he was on his way to work.
“I am kind of on edge now but considering the type of crime, it seemed opportunistic, but it is unnerving that he threatened to shoot my husband, ” she said.
The homeowners said while they do not think the thief had a gun, they did not want to take any chances but did manage to get several photos.
“(My husband) told me that he started taking photos of the vehicle as it was leaving and the (suspect) yelled out, ‘take as many photos as you want, it is a stolen vehicle' so (my husband) just kept snapping, ” she said.
While the family was left “on edge ” they said they are grateful because the “consequences could have been a lot worse. ” Now the family is just working on letting their neighbours know in an effort to protect them.
“I just want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else, ” the homeowner said.
The male left in a stolen red or maroon Acura 4-door with Alberta Licence plate ZHE360, which was stolen out of Airdrie. The suspect had a female passenger in the vehicle with him.
The male is described as approximately 5'8 or 5'10 with darker skin and brown short hair. He had a lean face and body and was wearing a faded black, long-sleeve shirt with dark jeans and dark runners. The female passenger was Caucasian and had brunette wavy hair and sunglasses.
This robbery is part of a crime spree in the Southern Alberta area. Cochrane RCMP confirm the suspect is also involved with the theft of a red Hummer in Didsbury where the male suspect demanded keys from the property owner and brandished a sawed off shotgun and began loading it with shells.
At a different residence, the suspects in the Hummer were searching for fuel, and then left travelling southbound on Range Road 12. At 10:30 a.m. the suspects in the Hummer met up with a White Ford F250, which was later reported stolen from a nearby residence. Items were moved from the Hummer to the Ford truck and the Hummer was abandoned near Township Road 294 and Highway 2A.
The white Ford F250 was abandoned at about 6:20 a.m. this morning in Airdrie where the suspects stole the red 2005 Acura EL that was spotted at the Cochrane home.
Calgary Police Service HAWCS helicopter, Carstairs County Peace Officer, RCMP Police Dog Services, Forensic Identification Section, Olds RCMP, Airdrie RCMP and Cochrane RCMP were jointly investigating.
