After an eventful June, calls to Creighton RCMP had a slight slowdown in July.
Between Creighton, Denare Beach and Sturgeon Landing, the detachment received a total of 139 calls – down from 192 in June.
In total, 56 of those calls came from Creighton.
“July was a pretty good month in Creighton. We’re going back down to normal numbers again over June,” said Sgt. Sean McPhee at the Aug. 8 Creighton town council meeting.
One highly visible case the detachment dealt with in July was a vehicle theft and kidnapping that took place in Creighton on July 31.
After a vehicle was stolen from Coutts’ Convenience with a three-year-old child inside, officers from the Creighton detachment worked with RCMP from Cranberry Portage, Flin Flon and The Pas to find, pursue and disable the vehicle, apprehending the suspect and reuniting the child with her family.
McPhee said he and another officer were on their way to Sturgeon Landing when the kidnapping call was made. After a Flin Flon RCMP member spotted the vehicle, the Creighton officers turned around and headed back to town.
Members of the public helped guide the RCMP in the right direction.
“Someone at Five Corners Avenue was yelling, ‘They’re that way! That way!’” said McPhee.
“It was quite the ordeal. The kid is safe, the guy is in custody. It’s now in his court for what he does now.”
The suspect is now in RCMP custody in La Ronge and is awaiting a court date in Creighton.
Elsewhere in the community, RCMP responded to three assaults. In what was a frequent theme in July, parties involved in two assaults did not reveal information to police or press charges.
The third call involved what McPhee referred to as a “large brawl at a residence.” When people involved did not cooperate, officers made multiple arrests and lodged several people from the scene in cells at the detachment office. Charges were laid at the detachment.
Two break-and-enters were reported to a business in Creighton. Investigations are continuing.
Nine mischief calls were placed, including a report of a person checking to see if a car door was open. When officers responded, they discovered the person was checking their own vehicle.
Most of the detachment’s calls came from Denare Beach, with 77 calls coming from the village.
One of the first calls of the month was reported on July 1 after officers received a call during the fireworks display on the community’s main beach.
During the Canada Day fireworks, RCMP was told a shirtless man had been threatening people with a machete on the beach. Upon investigation, the man was identified and arrested. He was released by a judge, but will be in court later this month.
A series of mischief reports, including people going through cars, a rock thrown through a window and a loud argument, were also called in to RCMP. Three thefts were reported, with a stolen battery charger and change from a vehicle allegedly stolen. The third theft call was later deemed a misunderstanding and no charges were laid.
Five assaults were reported, including two incidents of domestic violence. Charges were filed in both incidents.
Two assaults, including a person holding a knife and a fight with multiple people, ended with witnesses refusing to cooperate.
The final assault call involved a person who followed several people around the community after they were spotted, according to the RCMP report, “doing mischief.”
“People came out of homes and assaulted the person with hockey sticks,” reads the report.
Three break-and-enter calls were made to RCMP, all to the same home. All three calls were unfounded.
Six calls were made in Sturgeon Landing, including four assaults. Three were domestic assaults, and resulted in charges laid.
One call consisted of someone calling police and asking for a ride somewhere. “This was… not a police matter,” reads the RCMP report for Sturgeon Landing.
