St. Albert RCMP on the tail of an erratic driver got a little help from the air last weekend.
The Edmonton Police Service helicopter Air-1 helped local officers maintain the chase after the driver of a car they attempted to pull over refused to stop. Ground-based RCMP had to call off the chase for safety reasons.
Police received several calls about a dark-coloured Neon Sunday night around 8:45 p.m. Cpl. Laurel Kading said the drivers were reporting very dangerous behaviour.
“It was crossing the median and crossing into oncoming traffic and that was what was initially reported to us on St. Albert Trail onto Campbell Road.”
Officers caught up with the vehicle as it turned onto Bellerose Drive from Boudreau Road, but after receiving no response to their flashing emergency lights, they decided against a chase.
“The Neon did not respond at all and once the vehicle crossed over St. Albert Trail and they realized he wasn’t stopping they didn’t want to get into a pursuit situation so they turned the emergency lights off,” said Kading.
When the officers called off the pursuit they were offered assistance from the helicopter.
The helicopter spotted the dark-green 1998 Neon parked on Langley Avenue and directed the RCMP offers toward it. With some information from nearby residents they were able to find the driver nearby. He was arrested without incident.
Officer also learned the Neon had been reported stolen from Edmonton.
William Jay Severight, 41, faces charges of dangerous driving, failure to stop for police, possession of stolen property and two traffic charges of driving without a licence and driving without insurance.
Severight has an extensive criminal record and was held without bail. He is set to make his first court appearance Monday.
