One person from Flin Flon and two from Denare Beach, Saskatchewan were arrested for kidnapping and other charges after a 20-year-old man from Gimli was abducted from a fishing camp on Kisseynew Lake June 15.
The arrests were made in Flin Flon after a pursuit on Highway 10 and two attempts by RCMP to disable a vehicle by laying down spike belts.
The 20-year-old who was abducted was at the fishing camp with two other men, aged 36 and 17, when a vehicle with three people in it arrived. Two males exited the vehicle and asked the group at the fishing camp if they had any firearms. The 36-year-old was assaulted and threatened with a knife and the assailants stole a rifle before forcing the 20-year-old into his own vehicle and telling him he was going to drive them to Winnipeg. The suspects also stole the cell phones of the 36-year-old and the 17-year-old, leaving them stranded at the camp with no vehicle and no way to contact anyone. When the father of one of the men arrived at the camp the following day, he learned about the incident and went to the Flin Flon RCMP detachment to report it.
RCMP officers from Cranberry Portage, Flin Flon and Creighton conducted patrols on Highway 10 and located the stolen vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop but the vehicle didn’t pull over. After being damaged by the two spike belts, the vehicle continued along Highway 10 and then into a residential neighbourhood in Flin Flon before eventually coming to a stop. The abductors attempted to flee but were arrested by officers at the scene. The 20-year-old was in the vehicle, unharmed but shaken up. A loaded firearm and a large filleting knife were found in the vehicle.
"This was an intense and dynamic situation where our police officers risked their own safety by engaging in a pursuit with armed individuals,” said RCMP Supt. Kevin Lewis, district commander for Manitoba North District. “The professionalism and teamwork of our detachment members resulted in the victim being brought to safety and the suspects being taken into custody without anyone being harmed. I am proud of the actions of our members in bringing this event to a successful conclusion."
Joseph Gunville, 32, from Denare Beach, faces 19 charges including kidnapping with a firearm, robbery with a weapon, robbery to steal a firearm, theft of a vehicle, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police, assault, uttering threats and 11 other offences.
23-year-old Jeremy Dumas of Flin Flon is charged with kidnapping with a firearm, robbery with a weapon, robbery to steal a firearm, theft of a vehicle, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police, assault, uttering threats and nine other offences.
Rozalynn Custer, 28, from Denare Beach, is charged with kidnapping with a firearm, theft of a vehicle, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and unsafe storage of a firearm.
Gunville and Dumas were remanded into custody. Custer was released on court-imposed conditions for a court hearing scheduled for July 14 in Flin Flon.
