It had already been a busy shift, and technically we hadn’t even started it yet. In the first 20 minutes since 5:00, when we came on call, Tom and I had responded to ten complaints, and it seemed like everyone was just getting warmed up. We needed to head back to the office to regroup, and get organized as it looked like it was going to be a long day. I had no idea just how long it was going to be.
Our office in La Ronge was on a peninsula, Police Point, and the road beyond it dead ended in a Provincial Park campground, Nut Point. We were almost at the road to our office when we got the call, a park employee had just been robbed at gunpoint at Nut Point, shots had been fired and his car stolen. There was no place the suspect could go but by us.
We got to the campground without meeting the vehicle. We had been Johnny on the spot and should have encountered it, why not? We surmised that the delay, from getting to the phone, calling telecoms, and their dispatching the call was enough that he’d already driven past us. We must have just missed him.
Behind the park compound, just past the gate, was a trailer of four accommodation units for park employees, Motel Hell. Only one of the units was occupied, Trevor was a student working at the park for the summer, a summer with a little more adventure than he had planned.
He was asleep in his room at Motel Hell when he was awakened by someone standing in his room. A youth, with a bandaged hand, was pointing a handgun at him. When he awoke the youth told him not to move and threatened to shoot him. He rummaged through the room and kept asking if he had any guns. At the point of the gun he forced Trevor out of the room and then he forced him to kick in the next two units, but after looking around he took nothing. When he demanded money from Trevor they went back to Trevor’s room and he gave him all of his cash — $30.00.
They next went to the compound, where a marked Parks Patrol vehicle was. He then demanded the keys to the patrol vehicle and guns and when Trevor convinced him that he had neither, he shot the window out of the car with the pistol. There was another vehicle in the compound though, Trevor’s personal car, and when the youth demanded the keys to this vehicle Trevor complied.
Now Trevor was an accomplished bagpiper and when the the youth started up the car a tape of the pipes and drums filled the air. He quickly ejected the tape and threw it to the ground (critics). He then opened the trunk (again looking for guns) and, adding insult to injury, through Trevor’s bagpipes over by the tape. Jumping into the car he then accelerated across the compound and smashed through the locked gates. As his car disappered towards town, Trevor ran to the park office and made his phone call to us.
Comments
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Another good story Clare, looking forward to the next installment.
Was he also charged with assult on the bag pipes? I look forward to the rest of the story.
He was lucky…the bagpipes could easily have fought back!
BTW – I thought it was quiet up where you live?
Installment is on its way. He wasn’t charged with assault on the Bagpipes, but he ended up with some 39 Criminal charges. I’ll try and summerize them at the end. And as far as the Bagpipes fighting back, you’ll notice that he didn’t stop to open the gate as he fled 🙂
It is quiet(most days) where I am, this happened where I was. Definitely couldn’t be described as quiet there.