Norway House RCMP officers spent over two hours tracking a man wanted for sexual assault on April 28, during a pursuit that also involved them rescuing him after he fell into the ice and treating him for hypothermia.
Officers on patrol spotted the wanted man around 1 p.m. Friday. He ran off into the bush when he saw the police and they chased after him. The fleeing suspect went onto the ice of Little Playgreen Lake and fell through it several times, losing his shoes in the process.
Three RCMP officers put on floater suits and went out onto the ice after him, with one falling through and into the water, though the officer was able to get out and was not injured in the process. Police got the man off the ice, despite him assaulting them, and took him into custody. The man went into medical distress as a result of hypothermia and the officers got him into a makeshift shelter and delivered first aid while planning how to get him out of the area, which is not accessible by vehicle.
Aided by emergency medical services personnel, local firefighters and First Nation Safety Officers, police transported the suspect out of the woods on a stretcher and took him to hospital for treatment. He was then released into police custody, where he remains.
The pursuit lasted two-and-a-half hours and covered a distance of seven kilometres, police say.
Clayton Dixon, 21, faces additional charges, including two of assaulting a police officer and one of resisting arrest.
