A 35-year-old Dawson Creek man faces several charges as the suspect of a crime spree Saturday night that included colliding with two police vehicles.
James Alan Webb faces one count each of possession of stolen property over $5,000, flight from a peace officer, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and six counts of breach of probation. It began when a flat deck trailer, worth about $10,000 went missing from an address on on Highway 97 in the Hart.
Police received a report of the theft at about 2:30 p.m. and shortly after 7 p.m., it was seen being towed by a blue Ford F-350 pickup truck and carrying a side-by-side UTV.
The driver pulled onto Commercial Crescent where police attempted to stop the vehicle. But the driver collided with a police car and fled east on 10th Avenue running a red light at Highway 97.
For the safety of the public, police did not pursue, but shortly after, the suspect was seen driving into oncoming traffic on the wrong side of 15th Avenue from Freeman Street.
Just after 8 p.m., police tried to stop a white Ford F-350 pick-up without licence plates on Highway 16, about 100 metres west of the junction with Highway 97. The driver collided with a police vehicle, causing the pick-up to get stuck on a snow bank.
The driver fled on foot towards the Prince George Playhouse, where an event was taking place. He ignored commands to stop and a police service dog was brought in to help with the arrest.
Pepper spray and edged weapons were found on him.
At about the same time, police located the UTV in an alley adjacent to Farrell Street, off Queensway. While investigating, a local resident advised police that his Ford F-350 pick-up had been stolen. It was confirmed to be the pick-up recovered on Highway 16 minutes earlier.
The first Ford F-350 pick-up and the stolen trailer were located and recovered on La Salle Avenue, a few blocks away. That pick-up was found to have been stolen from Dawson Creek on Friday.
Police believe the same suspect is responsible for all of these thefts.
Although the UTV had not yet been reported stolen, police believe it to be. It is described as a red and white Polaris RZR. Anyone owning a UTV matching that description that has gone missing in the last few days is asked to call the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300.
Police believe the same man is responsible for all the thefts and is well known to RCMP in both Prince George and Dawson Creek.
