A man and a woman were arrested northeast of Francis on Saturday, charged with manslaughter in the death of an RCMP constable, and theft along with several other charges, and appear in court in Regina on Monday.
An Indian Head RCMP officer died in the line of duty on June 12 while following the two suspects who were driving a stolen pick-up truck from Manitoba. Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crime Unit-North assumed responsibility of the investigation into the incident with the assistance of the Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crime Unit-South, Forensic Identification Section-Regina, Forensic Collision Reconstruction Unit, Police Dog Service, the Regina Police Service – Combined Traffic Services, the Saskatchewan Coroners Service and numerous other Saskatchewan RCMP Detachments.
Investigators have determined that on June 12, at 7:04 a.m., Indian Head RCMP received a complaint reporting that a stolen pick-up truck from Manitoba was in the community of Wolseley. The complaint was dispatched to Const. Shelby Patton, who drove to the community to investigate the complaint.
At 7:50 a.m., Const. Patton located the stolen pick-up truck in the town of Wolseley and initiated a traffic stop on Sherbrooke Street, near the intersection of Front Street. During the course of the stop, while outside of his police vehicle, Const.Patton was struck and killed by the truck.
Indian Head RCMP received an urgent dispatch at 7:56 a.m., mentioning an RCMP officer had been struck by a vehicle and was in cardiac arrest. Members of the public were on scene and performed first aid until the arrival of EMS and police, but Const. Patton was declared deceased at the scene.
A farmer near Odessa called 911 at 8:38 a.m., to report that occupants of a white pick-up truck were on their property and stole one of their trucks. Police responded and searched the area for the two stolen vehicles.
Police located the white pick-up truck stuck in the mud of a field near Francis, approximately one mile away from the abandoned farmer’s truck. The suspects fled on foot and were arrested just before 10 a.m., without incident, with the assistance of a police dog, police officers from different nearby RCMP detachments and the Saskatchewan RCMP Emergency Response Team.
The scenes in Wolseley and Francis were examined, processed and have now been released.
The notification to Const. Patton’s next of kin was completed by Assistant-Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, with the assistance of the Indian Head RCMP Detachment Commander and Saskatchewan RCMP Chaplain. Ongoing support is also being provided to members of the Indian Head Detachment and the members of the community who assisted Const. Patton.
As a result of the investigation, two individuals, an adult male and an adult female, have been arrested and charged.
Alphonse Stanley Traverse, 41, from Winnipeg, Man., has been charged with manslaughter, failure to stop after an accident resulting in death, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property over $5000, Breach of undertaking – Leaving the Province of Manitoba.
Marlene Velma Louise Pagee, 42, from Winnipeg, has been charged with manslaughter, failure to stop after an accident resulting in death, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property over $5000, possession of a controlled substance, and breach of undertaking – Possession of controlled substance.
Both individuals have been remanded in custody on the above charges and appeared at the Regina Provincial Court on Monday, June 14.
Assistant-Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, Commanding Officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, said today, “We have received an outpouring of support and condolence messages in person, in writing and on social media from across Canada and beyond. These messages help us through this difficult time. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to let us know they share our grief. Our thoughts remain with the family, friends, colleagues and community of Constable Patton.”
If anyone would like to send messages of support and/or condolences to the wife, family, friends, colleagues and community of Constable Patton, please send them to: RCMP.Condolences-Condoleances.GRC@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
Constable Patton’s family has informed Saskatchewan RCMP a fraudulent Go-Fund-Me page has been created in the name of Constable Patton. Please do not give money to this account in the name of Sam Joseph or promote this account’s activities. The RCMP have advised Go-Fund-Me the account is fraudulent.
The RCMP noted that assistance from the public was critical to their ability to arrest the suspects. Investigators would like to ask the assistance of the public to establish the whereabouts of the suspect vehicle in the community of Wolseley prior to Const. Patton’s arrival.
Anyone in the community of Wolseley who may have observed, on the morning of June 12, a white Ford F250 pick-up truck is asked to call Indian Head RCMP at 306-695-5200. The vehicle is believed to have been in and around the community for a period of time prior to Const. Patton’s arrival.
The investigation into the death of Constable Shelby Patton continues.
