Olds RCMP responded to a complaint of a possible fraud occurring at the registry office in the Town of Olds.
On Saturday, August 10, 2019 at approximately 12 p.m. as officers arrived on scene, the suspect quickly entered a Jeep which was later determined to have been stolen from the Three Hills area.
He drove the Jeep into the responding police vehicle, then into the registries office building as he fled from police at a high rate of speed.
The suspect was pursued by Olds RCMP officers through the town and then southbound onto Highway 2.
As the pursuit continued south on the highway and through county roads, officers from Didsbury and Airdrie detachments, as well as Airdrie Traffic Services, were dispatched to assist.
The pursuit, which lasted approximately one hour, ended when the Jeep became stuck as it drove through a wheat field east of Crossfield.
The suspect fled on foot but was apprehended after a short pursuit through the field.
There were no injuries as a result of the actions of the suspect or the ensuing pursuit.
Twenty-eight-year-old Bernard Michael Sontheim of Innisfail, Alta. has been charged with 25 Criminal Code Offences, including Assault with a Weapon, Resist Arrest, Flight from Police, Dangerous Driving, Mischief, Possession of Stolen Property, Fail to Comply with Recognizance and several fraud related offences.
Arrest warrants were also executed for over 60 offences committed in other locations around Alberta.
Sontheim has been remanded in custody to appear in Didsbury Provincial Court on August 19, 2019.
Police are continuing their investigation and are requesting anyone with information regarding this matter to contact the Olds RCMP Detachment at 403-556-3324 or, should you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or by internet at www.tipsubmit.com.
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