A Blackburn resident thought it odd that a pair of young men would be driving around the rural Prince George neighbourhood with war veteran license plates.
Odder still was observing the two strangers pull up to a house and peer in the window. When the neighbour called out to them for an explanation, they responded with a suspicious claim of looking for someone they thought lived there. They quickly drove off but police were notified just as fast.
According to police, the incident happened on Dec. 23 at about 10:30 a.m. When Mounties encountered the suspect vehicle, they saw a familiar face. Police allege that the suspect was Jamie Hal Hammerstrom, 33, now charged in the incident, along with a 26-year-old companion from 150 Mile House who also faces charges.
The suspect vehicle matched one stolen on Dec. 10 from a home in the 1700 block of Maple Street. It was spotted accelerating off of Graves Road and down Highway 16, then onto Boeing Road as members approached. Hammerstrom was recognized as the driver despite his "attempt to hide his face from the officer" as police got closer, said local RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass. "Hammerstrom began to drive forward, accelerating to a high rate of speed."
Two other members in the same area laid down a spike belt across Boeing Road. The suspect driver "swerved off the road in order to avoid the spike belt," Douglass said. "The suspect was seen attempting to pull a bandana over his face to conceal his identity. The suspect continued along Boeing Road, still traveling at a high rate of speed. Police did not pursue in order to maximize public safety."
More Mounties were arriving in the area to help. As one police vehicle approached, the oncoming suspect was seen near the Yellowhead Bridge "at what police believe to be excessive speeds. One police officer was forced to drive his vehicle off the road, out of fear that the suspect was going to ram him."
The trail was lost after that, but later the same day a member of the Prince George RCMP's Crime Reduction Team located Hammerstrom walking on Quince Street near 20th Avenue. Two hours later, the other suspect was located by police at a home on Qunice Street. Both were arrested.
The stolen vehicle was found the next day in a parking lot off 15th Avenue.
These new charges add to the legal allegations against Hammerstrom. He is also charged with sexual assault with a weapon and other offenses related to a home invasion case from Oct. 29 on Norwood Street.
He was also a person of interest in other cases of break-and-enter being studied by Prince George police. Those other incidents involved rural homes and seemed to focus on firearms.
"Investigators believe that the persons responsible for these crimes will seek out and identify a residence where no one appears to be home," Douglass explained. "They will knock at the door. If someone answers, they will claim to be looking for someone and provide a fictitious name. If no one answers, they will break into the residence."
The Prince George RCMP are asking the public, especially the rural public, to take the necessary steps to protect your homes and firearms, Douglass said. "The above charges are a result of an observant community member."
For more information or to find out about the Rural Crime Watch Program, please contact the Prince George RCMP Community Policing office at (250)561-3366 or go to www.princegeorge.rcmp.ca.
