By Jeffrey Heyden-Kaye
Staff Sgt. Cameron Chisholm said Ponoka RCMP worked closely with the Calgary General Investigative Section to locate the suspected kidnapper of Blair Vold, owner of Vold, Jones, and Vold Auction Co.
On Sept. 15, a masked man carrying a weapon took Vold from his home and told him to give up his debit and credit cards. The abductor tried to use those cards in Lacombe where Vold was able to escape and ask for help at a Mohawk service station.
Newspapers printed a clear photograph of a suspect at a CIBC bank machine in Wetaskiwin, which resulted in a tip identifying Larry Hugh McLelland, 49, of Ponoka as a suspect in the kidnapping.
Safety to all was foremost on the mind of the RCMP, said Chisholm, and through a series of phone calls with McLelland, they were able to convince him to turn himself in at the Ponoka detachment on Sept. 22. Chisholm said the investigators and his team did a good job with the investigation.
McLelland is charged with abduction, forcible confinement, extortion, possession of a restricted firearm, pointing a firearm, use of a firearm in the commission of an indictable offence, uttering threats and mischief under $5,000.
He has been taken to the Edmonton remand centre and is scheduled to appear in Ponoka provincial court on Sept. 30 at 9:30 a.m.
Microsoft virus scam
There were two calls made to Ponoka RCMP with complaints of someone calling homes claiming to be a Microsoft representative. The caller would rudely tell homeowners they had a virus on their computers, requesting personal information from them.
When homeowners said they would phone the police for harassment the caller said, “Your police cannot touch us, what are you going to do about it?”
RCMP advise not to give out personal information over the phone.
Generator theft
On Sept. 21 a red generator was removed from the back of a pickup on the 4000 block of 45 Street. The generator is valued at $7,000.
Speeding car caught
Two Ford Mustangs, one red and one blue, were reported racing on the Queen Elizabeth II highway on Sept. 22 at 7:44 p.m. The red Mustang was clocked at 171 km/h and was stopped by RCMP and a green Dodge Charger was caught driving at 137 km/h. The police did not find the blue Mustang.