ARTICLES

On April 14, 2025, at approximately 12:30 AM, two unknown suspects broke into a business located on Dunmore Road and stole several pieces of jewelry from display cases. The suspects fled the scene before police arrived.

Attached are two images of the suspects obtained during the investigation. Some of the stolen items were later recovered in a park located in the 0 block of Crockett Way SE.

The Medicine Hat Police Service is asking anyone living in the area to review their security video footage for any sightings of the suspects walking in the vicinity.

If you have any information or relevant footage, please contact Cst. Kyle Jalbert.403-928-7711 or kyle.jalbert@mhps.ca.

Media Contact:

Cst. Kyle Jalbert
Criminal Investigation Section
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-928-7711

On the evening of April 12th, the Medicine Hat Police Service responded to a disturbance at a residence on the 2600 block of 21 Avenue SE. Upon arrival, officers discovered that the windows of the house had been smashed by the suspect. It was determined that the suspect, a 54-year-old Medicine Hat woman, had assaulted her roommate with a knife and threatened him. Patrol officers successfully negotiated with the suspect and took her into custody without further incident.

The woman was held for a bail hearing and remanded in custody on the following charges:

• Uttering threats (two counts),
• Breach of court order,
• Assault with a weapon,
• Possession of a weapon dangerous to the public.

The roommate was unharmed, and no physical injuries were sustained as a result of this incident.

The accused was held for a Judicial Interim Release hearing and remains in custody pending her next court appearance on April 15, 2025, in Medicine Hat Provincial Court.

Media Contact:

S/Sgt. Darcy Brandt

Patrol Section

Medicine Hat Police Service

Ph: 403-529-8461

On the morning of April 11, 2025, members of the Medicine Hat Police Service’s Patrol Section conducted a vehicle stop on the Trans Canada Highway after observing that the licence plate on the vehicle did not match the registration records.

During the interaction with the driver and passengers, officers observed contraband cigarettes and drug paraphernalia in plain view.  A subsequent search then located fentanyl inside the vehicle as well.

Resulting from this investigation, three occupants of the vehicle, all from Winnipeg, Manitoba, including a 34-year-old woman, 36-year-old man, and a 50-year-old man were arrested and charged with the following.

• Possession for the purpose of trafficking
• Possession of unmarked cigarettes

All three individuals are currently being held for a Judicial Interim Hearing to speak to their release.

Media Contact:

S/Sgt. Trevor Humphries
Patrol Section
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-529-8461

The Medicine Hat Police Service will be conducting an over dimensional load escort on April 7, 2025, starting at 10:00 am.  The over dimensional load will be starting at 2230 9 Ave SW to 4990 Box Springs Road NW. Traffic will be affected in both the East and West bound lanes on highway #1, the SW industrial Area, Broadway Ave. NW and Box Springs Road NW due to counterflowing of the over dimensional load.  Please avoid these areas if possible and arrange to take alternate routes, please be patient and follow all police/pilot vehicle directions.

On March 26, 2025, members of the Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) responded to information regarding drug trafficking in the downtown area.

A vehicle suspected of being involved was identified, and MHPS Patrol and Criminal Investigation Section officers conducted a traffic stop. This led to the arrest of a man and a woman from Medicine Hat.

During the investigation, officers seized fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, prescription pills, a bladed weapon, and Canadian currency from both individuals and the vehicle. The estimated street value of the seized drugs is $8,000.

As a result of the investigation, Denai Lanz (42-years-old), and Mark Davis (46-years-old), both from Medicine Hat, AB, have been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking a controlled substance, possession of proceeds of crime, and failure to comply with release order conditions. Additionally, Davis was charged with failing to comply with a probation order and possession of a prohibited weapon.

Both suspects were held for bail hearings and subsequently remanded into provincial custody. Lanz is scheduled to appear in provincial court on March 31, 2025, and Davis on April 3, 2025.

Media Contact:

Acting S/Sgt. Darren Lole
Criminal Investigation Section
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-581-1061

On March 28, 2025, the Medicine Hat Police Service received a report related to the “fake gold scam.”

In this incident, individuals approached a citizen in retail storeparking lot, claiming to be in distress and in need of money. They stated their debit cards were not working and offered gold jewelry in exchange for cash. The jewelry was presented as being of significant value but is believed to be counterfeit.

The suspects were last seen driving a dark grey 2022–2023 Volvo SUV with Alberta rental or dealer licence plates. The vehicle was reportedly heading out of Medicine Hat on Township Road 120 in Cypress County.

Suspect Descriptions:

Suspect 1:

• Male, approximately 55 years old
• Arab/Middle Eastern descent
• Wearing a suit

• Suspect 2:

• Female, in her 30s
• Arab/Middle Eastern descent
• Wearing a dress

• Suspect 3:

• Male, approximately 30 years old
• Arab/Middle Eastern descent

The Medicine Hat Police Service reminds the public to be cautious of individuals offering high-value items in exchange for cash under urgent or suspicious circumstances. 

In September 2024, a local Medicine Hat business owner reported to the Medicine Hat Police Service that he had received a phone call that prompted him to leave his home to go check on a business property. Once the victim was outside his home and in his vehicle, a male using a mask approached him and pointed a firearm at the driver's window. Reacting swiftly, the victim managed to escape and promptly dialed 911.

Following an extensive investigation, which involved multiple judicial authorizations, Daniel Vander Meulen, age 47, from Redcliff, AB, has been charged with attempted robbery, assault with a weapon, use of an imitation firearm, and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace. The investigation established that the victim was known to Vander Meulen and this was a targeted rather than a random incident with an intent was to rob the business owner.

Vander Meulen is scheduled to appear in court on April 16, 2025, at the Alberta Court of Justice in Medicine Hat.

Media Contact:
Acting S/Sgt Darren Lole
Criminal Investigation Section
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-581-1061

March is Fraud Prevention Month in Canada, a month-long crime prevention initiative aimed at educating and informing consumers and the community on how to recognize, report, and stop fraud. Throughout the month, the Medicine Hat Police Service Community Support Unit will be sharing information on how to recognize and prevent citizens from becoming victims of common frauds and scams. This week’s focus is on mass marketing and phone scams.

Mass marketing and phone scams are currently one of the most common frauds.  Ultimately, the fraudster wants to obtain your personal information or be provided money from you in any method.  The difficulty in these types of frauds is that the targets believe they are dealing with a real company or someone they trust.  The fraudsters sound very convincing and work hard to manipulate the people they call.

Whether is it by phone or by email, if you are not certain you are talking to someone legitimate, end the conversation and contact the business directly to confirm.  Often fraudsters will use phone numbers that are “spoofed”, or copied, to look legitimate, or emails that look real but are not. A company will usually use its own name in the email address as a contact as opposed to an email ending in Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo.  These are easy things to confirm when you contact the businesses directly yourself.

One type of phone scam is an emergency scam or grandparent scam.  The scammer contacts a person posing as their relative and they sound scared and quiet.  They will call the victim by a generic name or title such as “Grandma” or “Grandpa”.  When the victim calls them by the name of their grandchild, they will make up a story that they have been arrested for a crime, they are being held somewhere and need bail or money to pay a fine or legal fees. They will often request that the money is wire transferred to a certain place, and they cannot tell their parents. Remember to always check with your family members to determine if an emergency call is legitimate before transferring money. Slow down any timelines and do your own research about the legitimacy of these types of calls.

Another common scam involves people posing as professionals from the Canada Revenue Agency, Canada Border Services Agency, Microsoft or computer technical support, or government officials in hopes to gather personal information or have money sent to them.  They may request e-transfers, gift card codes, crypto currency, or credit card information.  Remember, no legitimate company or government agency will request gift cards codes or crypto currency as payment.

Always call the company/agency back at their phone number that you have researched and confirm if the situation is real.

In general, a good financially responsible rule is to always ask questions before transferring or investing.  A professional will have no problem answering your questions, showing credentials, and providing references to prove they are legitimate.

Media Contact:

Sgt Adam Gregory
Medicine Hat Police Service
Community Support Unit
PH: 403-529-8451

On Monday, March 24, 2025, at 10:00 AM the MHPS Traffic Unit will be conducting an over-dimensional load escort involving two loads.  The over-dimensional load escort will be travelling on Highway #1 from the Dunmore truck scales to the east Medicine Hat limits, through the Southwest industrial area to the west limits of Redcliff Alberta.

Due to the size of the loads, the over-dimensional load escort will be required to counter-flow on highway #1. This will affect traffic along Highway #1 in both the east and westbound lanes, along with parts of Bomfort Cres SW, Redcliff Dr SW and Gershaw Dr SW.  The escort is expected to take approximately one hour to complete so please plan your commute accordingly. 

MHPS appreciates the motoring public's cooperation during these escorts and reminds motorists to obey all police officer, pilot vehicle and flag person's directions.

March is Fraud Prevention Month in Canada, a month-long crime prevention initiative aimed at educating and informing consumers and the community on how to recognize, report, and stop fraud. Throughout the month, the Medicine Hat Police Service Community Support Unit will be sharing information on how to recognize and prevent citizens from becoming victims of common frauds and scams. This week’s focus is on online frauds.

Online frauds remain very prevalent as we continue to expand the ways we communicate on the internet. When we are not communicating face-to-face, it often makes it more difficult to determine if we are being targeted by a scam.

Romance scams, as spoken about in week 1, prey on people longing for friendship and relationships.  They will often convince the victim to send money for any reason that will be accepted by the victim. 

Online marketplace scams take advantage of unknowing internet shoppers.  Scammers will post a photo of an item (that may or may not exist) for sale.  They will request partial or full payment for the item prior to arranging a meeting with the buyer.  They buyer will show up at the meeting place and the suspects are nowhere to be seen, and the advertisements are quickly removed.

Lottery/Prize scams are another type of fraud often found online.  Scammers will send mass emails advising the recipient that they have won a cash prize or an item of significant value.  They will request credit card or banking information to deposit the funds, or they may request a cash deposit, wire transfer, or e-transfer in order to hold the prize for the victim.  Once they receive banking or credit card information, they will attempt to withdraw funds from the accounts.  The prize is never sent to the victim, and the money sent to the suspects is frequently not traceable.

In some cases, scammers will contact victims advising them of an issue with their computer files or computer accounts stating that they are a technology repair company.  They may convince the victim to allow them to remotely access their computer or device.  Once they gain access the suspects will attempt to retrieve banking information and passwords which are then used to withdraw money from the victim’s accounts.

In general, no legitimate company will request someone to send money, gift card codes, or deposit into crypto currencies.  The sad truth is that many of the scammers are across borders and once the money is e-transferred, money ordered, provided through gift card codes, or deposited into a crypto currency account, it is gone for good and extremely difficult to investigate and hold anyone accountable.  Beware of communication from any company that you have not previously been a customer, especially if it is not a local business that you are familiar with.  It is recommended that you conduct research on a company prior to hiring them.  The Better Business Bureau is a great resource, as well as word-of-mouth recommendations from trusted friends or family.

Communicate with people you trust if you think you may be involved in some type of scam, know that you can’t win anything you don’t apply to win, and remember that when things appear to good to be true, they likely are.

Media Contact: Sgt. Adam Gregory
Medicine Hat Police Service
Community Support Unit
Ph: 403-529-8451