News briefs for Thursday, March 23, 2023

Man arrested after dead dog found, windows smashed

10:31 AM

A 29-year-old man from the RM of St. Clements has been charged after his dog was found fatally injured and house and vehicle windows were smashed at a rural residence.

Selkirk RCMP said on Thursday officers responded to a call about a man wielding an axe and smashing windows at a house and two parked vehicles on Tuesday at about 5:50 p.m.

While rushing to the scene, officers were told the man had returned to his own residence. Officers found the man outside beside a shed on fire.

The man has been charged with arson, mischief over $5,000, and injuring or endangering an animal. He has been remanded into custody.

Person in critical condition after house fire

11:45 AM

A person was taken to hospital in critical condition after a house fire on Gallagher Avenue early Thursday.

Fire crews were sent to a single-family bungalow in the 2100 block of Gallagher at 3:56 a.m.

Firefighters found one person inside and carried them out of the house. Paramedics transported the person to hospital.

The fire was declared under control at about 4:54 a.m., the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said.

No one else was injured.

Einarson misses big opportunity against Japan, falls to 6-4

12:07 PM

Team Canada’s Kerri Einarson was in prime position to end the round robin at the 2023 World Women’s Curling Championship in Sweden in second place. But all that changed on Thursday morning with a 6-5 loss to Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa to fall to 6-4 at the 13-team event.

Switzerland sits on top of the standings at 9-0, but after that, there’s a logjam of teams fighting for the other five playoff spots. The top two teams earn byes to the semis, while the other four have to play the first round of playoffs. Round robin ends Friday, playoffs begin Saturday.

Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg currently resides in second with a 6-3 record and a game in hand, with Canada and Italy right behind at 6-4. Germany and Norway are 5-4, while the Americans, Japan and Turkey are 5-5.

Switzerland is the only team to have clinched a playoff spot so far.

Canada has the rest of the day off but will close out the 12-game round robin tomorrow against Turkey (3 a.m. CT) and Denmark (8 a.m. CT).

IIU investigating after man’s skull fractured in Thompson arrest

1:42 PM

The province’s police oversight agency is investigating after a Thompson man allegedly had his skull fractured during an RCMP arrest last summer.

Mounties reported the July 28 incident to the Independent Investigation Unit on Tuesday, after he filed a complaint with the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission. He told the commission his skull had been fractured.

The allegation arose from the interaction between the man and multiple officers on Elk Bay in the northern city on July 28, 2022, the IIU said. No further details were released.

The agency has asked any witnesses or others with information or video footage of the incident to call 1-844-667-6060.

Lac du Bonnet RCMP recover pistol stolen from Mountie’s home

1:45 PM

Lac du Bonnet RCMP have arrested a man accused of possessing an officer’s service weapon that was stolen during a Winnipeg break-and-enter in 2019.

Mounties were called about a man who possibly had a gun at a hotel in Lac du Bonnet, where they executed a warrant on Monday morning. Officers arrested a 35-year-old man and found a semi-automatic pistol.

Cody Tronrud of Lac du Bonnet is charged with four weapons offences and two counts of failing to comply with a release order. He also had an outstanding warrant for aggravated assault, uttering threats and failing to attend court. He’s still in custody.

Mounties have determined the gun was the same RCMP-issued pistol that was stolen from a safe in an officer’s home in August 2019. Winnipeg police are still investigating the break-and-enter.

Two arrested, one suspect still sought in Dauphin assaults

2:45 PM

RCMP have arrested a woman accused in two serious assaults and robberies in Dauphin in mid-March, but a third suspect is still at large.

RCMP said a 45-year-old woman from Pine Creek First Nation was left with life-threatening injuries in the Tim Hortons on Main Street South on March 13. She was sent to hospital and later transferred to Winnipeg in critical condition.

A 66-year-old man from Dauphin was also assaulted and found by RCMP a short distance away. He was sent to hospital and was in stable condition.

Mounties issued warrants for Fred Parenteau, 37, from Dauphin, Samuel Flatfoot, 24, from Pine Creek First Nation and Kathleen Flatfoot, 49, from Pine Creek First Nation.

Parenteau and Kathleen Flatfoot have since been arrested and charged, but Samuel Flatfoot is still at large. RCMP ask anyone with information on his whereabouts to call the Dauphin detachment at 204-622-5050 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.