No bail for man who evaded police for years
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/05/2022 (1386 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A man who allegedly led police on a prolonged chase around the southern Parkland in 2018 was denied bail Thursday after a judge said the accused might not return to court.
Christopher Toews is accused in the alleged May 2018 incident. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty and the charges have not been proven in court.
On May 2, 2018, Ste. Rose du Lac RCMP reported an allegedly stolen vehicle was travelling toward Dauphin, Crown attorney Jeannelle Allard told the court. There were reportedly stolen items inside and two occupants took gas without paying.
At approximately 3:10 p.m., Dauphin RCMP allegedly saw the vehicle stopped near a hotel in Dauphin with Toews in the driver’s seat and a woman in the passenger’s seat, Allard said. Police tried to block it in the vendor drive-thru, but Toews allegedly manoeuvred around police and headed east out of the city.
A few minutes later, police received a report the suspects tried to steal a 12-pack of alcoholic beverages from another hotel, the Crown said. The vehicle then allegedly fled west on Memorial Boulevard, in a busy area of the city.
“Police made multiple attempts to stop Toews … for the following two to three hours, but they continued to evade police and refused to stop,” Allard told the court.
At approximately 4:20 p.m., police in Grandview received a complaint of a theft of gas and goods from a service station with a description that matched the allegedly stolen vehicle, she said.
Roblin RCMP were then advised of the situation and started patrolling Highway 5 near the town. Police reportedly tried to use a spike belt to stop the vehicle, but it was unsuccessful, Allard said.
A witness alleged the vehicle nearly hit another car and hit the median while travelling through Roblin, she said.
Another person told police the vehicle sped through Roblin at approximately 100 km/h, sometimes in the wrong lane of traffic, according to the Crown.
Then, on May 5, 2018, Toews and the passenger were arrested in Alberta, allegedly with two replica firearms and methamphetamine.
Toews was arrested most recently after returning to Brandon from British Columbia.
She opposed Toews being released on bail, calling him a “huge flight risk.”
Defence lawyer Andrew Synyshyn noted Toews is presumed innocent and said he wants to take the charges to trial. He said identification is an issue and the accused maintains it wasn’t him.
While the charges are serious, Synyshyn said there are problems with the evidence.
Judge Donovan Dvorak denied Toews’ release on bail, saying the charges are four years old and the accused was “ignoring” them in British Columbia. He said the proposed bail plan was not satisfactory and the accused could leave again.
Toews is scheduled to appear in court in early June.
» dmay@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @DrewMay_