SUNDRE – A 17-year-old was taken into custody earlier this month and charged by Sundre RCMP with criminal offences including uttering threats and possession of a weapon.
A confrontation among youths reportedly occurred at approximately noon on June 3 at the parking lot across from Sundre High School on 2nd Avenue NW and the local detachment received a report about the incident roughly 30 minutes after it had occurred, said Cpl. Courtney Harding, the Sundre RCMP’s acting commander.
“There were some threats made where it was implied that one of the youth was in possession of a possible firearm,” the corporal told the Albertan.
Members attended the school to assess the situation.
“We responded to ensure the safety and well-being of everybody at the school,” she said.
“There was never any armed response to any type of a complaint at the high school.”
Upon arriving at the scene, the responding officers were able to confirm the altercation had unfolded approximately 30 minutes prior to police receiving the complaint, she said.
“There was no threat to students or school safety whatsoever,” she said, adding Mounties quickly managed to catch up with those involved.
“We located our subjects of complaint – almost immediately after receiving the complaint – right east of Fountain Tire on Highway 27,” she said.
Police then took three youths into custody at that point in time. Two of the youths were released to the care of their responsible adults shortly afterward following an initial investigation with no charges laid, she said.
“The other youth remained in RCMP custody and was charged," she said.
The 17-year-old was charged with uttering a threat to property, possession of a weapon for a purpose dangerous to the public peace, as well as failure to comply with a youth sentence order, she said.
The corporal told the Albertan the weapon, which was seized, was a replica but that officers who are responding to a report involving firearms take such instances very seriously.
As well, replicas often appear realistic and members might not immediately be able to ascertain whether it’s fake, she said.
“It’s dangerous,” she said.
The youth was brought before a justice of the peace on June 4 to speak to the charges and subsequently conditionally released from custody to a responsible adult.
As the individual involved is a youth, police won’t be providing further information on the matter, which is now before the courts.
