OYEN, Alta., - A 41-year-old Regina man is in custody after leading police on a chase from Saskatchewan into Alberta, resulting in an extensive manhunt involving multiple RCMP units.
Jeffrey McLean faces numerous charges including flight from police, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime, driving while prohibited, driving without a license, driving without registration, driving without insurance, and displaying an unauthorized license plate.
The incident began on April 20, when Kindersley, Sask., RCMP alerted Oyen, Alta., detachment about a stolen Ford F350 that had fled into Alberta. Officers from Oyen soon spotted the truck on Township Road 310, but the driver evaded police, driving through a field before abandoning the vehicle and fleeing on foot.
A large-scale search ensued, involving multiple RCMP detachments, Police Dog Services, and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems. The search continued into the next day, when Oyen RCMP received tips from concerned residents in the small community of Esther, about 39 kilometres east of Oyen. Witnesses reported seeing a man matching McLean’s description in the area.
One local resident posted in an Oyen community social media group that she had called 911 after a stranger had knocked on her door around 7:15 a.m. on April 21, asking for directions.
“We wouldn’t let him in,” she wrote, noting that RCMP later arrested the suspect near the Esther cemetery, just a mile from her home.
McLean was taken into custody and appeared before a justice of the peace before being remanded. He made his first court appearance at the Alberta Court of Justice in Hanna on April 23.
The Alberta RCMP thanked the public for their assistance in locating the suspect, emphasizing the role of community tips in resolving the case.
