RCMP, police dog track man in frigid weather

A 37-year-old man ran away from RCMP on Sunday morning in extremely cold and dangerous weather conditions, and had to be tracked down with the help of a police dog, according to an RCMP press release.

At 12 a.m. on Sunday morning, Saddle Lake RCMP were patrolling a northern part of the community when members came across a vehicle stuck in the ditch. When the attending members activated their emergency lights, the male driver ran into an open field towards a wooded area. At the time, the temperatures were very cold, reaching lows of -33 degrees with the wind chill.

The male was soon lost by the attending members, so RCMP requested the use of a police dog from St. Paul to assist them. After tracking the male for about thirty minutes, RCMP located him five kilometers from his vehicle, hiding amongst hay bails with no shelters or homes anywhere in the remote area. According to the RCMP press release, the male was found to be under the influence of alcohol and drugs and was not dressed for the dangerous temperatures. EMS was brought in to treat the male for exposure.

After determining the identity of the male, RCMP found he had an outstanding warrant for an unpaid fine. He has been charged with one count of resisting arrest and is due to appear in St. Paul court on Jan. 24.