ARTICLES

UPDATE: The matter has been resolved. Anyone calling the non-emergency line of 403.529.8481 will receive a message and a prompt to press 1. Please follow the instructions on the recorded message. Thank you!

The Medicine Hat Police Service is issuing a public advisory regarding a series of robocalls that have been directed at our non-emergency phone lines. This issue has been occurring since about 12:30 pm today.

The numerous automated calls have been made to our non-emergency phone line. The calls have congested our phone lines and have hindered our ability to promptly address our ability to answer and address legitimate non-emergency calls from our community.

This has the potential to delay our response time to non-emergent situations. It is important to understand that we have the ability to receive any emergency calls for service through 9-1-1. This line remains unaffected and is available for urgent police, fire, or emergency medical services.

The Medicine Hat Police Service is actively investigating the source of these “robocalls”.

The Medicine Hat Police Service and Redcliff Bylaw will be conducting an over dimensional load escort on November 8, 2023, starting at 11:00 am. The load will be travelling from Highway #1 Redcliff limits to 4950 Box Springs Road NW (Methanex), due to the size of the load, roadways in the Northwest portion of Redcliff Industrial and Medicine Hat Industrial areas will be delayed to closures. Avoid these areas if possible and arrange to take alternate routes, please be patient and always follow all police/bylaw/pilot vehicle directions.

On the evening of November 5, 2023, the Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) attended to a disturbance in the parking lot of Strachan Road SE.  Upon arrival patrol officers located a woman in distress and a man was taken into custody.

The MHPS Criminal Investigation Section investigated the matter, and as a result, a 46-year-old Medicine Hat man has been charged with sexual assault and unlawful confinement.  The man and woman were known to one another, and this is believed to be an isolated incident with no further risk to the community. 

The man was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on December 4, 2023. The name of the accused is not being released to protect the identify of the victim.

The woman has been provided additional resources and assistance from the MHPS Victim Assistance Unit.

Media Contact:

S/Sgt. Jason Graham
Criminal Investigation Section
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-529-8421

A Medicine Hat man has been charged with arson following an investigation into two fires at local businesses over the weekend.

During the early afternoon of October 22, 2023, the Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS), along with the Medicine Hat Fire Department responded to two separate fires that occurred within two hours of each other. The first fire was reported at the Medicine Hat Lodge and other at the Medicine Hat Mall.

The investigation revealed that both fires were deliberately set and the MHPS Criminal Investigation Section was able to identify a male suspect.  On October 23, 2023, a residential search warrant was executed, and a 40-year-old Medicine Hat male was charged accordingly.

Justin St. Dennis has been charged with two counts of arson and two counts of mischief.  St. Dennis was held for a judicial interim release hearing where he was remanded into custody and scheduled to appear in Medicine Hat Provincial Court on October 25, 2023.

There were no injuries as a result of these fires and the estimated damages are around $10,000.

Media Contact:
S/Sgt. Jason Graham
Criminal Investigation Section
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-529-8481

The Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) and City of Medicine Hat (CMH) announce the return of the crime map, an interactive community safety tool that displays calls for service throughout the community.

“Keeping the community informed about police activities and matters concerning community safety is a top priority for the MHPS,” says Chief Alan Murphy. “Developed in partnership with GIS staff from the City of Medicine Hat Operations Technology and Intelligence department, citizens can now view call data to be better informed about what events are occurring in their neighborhood.”

“The City continues to engage GIS-based solutions across departments, sharing and leveraging location data for internal and external users,” says Nigel Forster, GIS Specialist. “Collaborating with the Medicine Hat Police Service helped create an easy to read, visual location-based dashboard to expose crime statistics for our community.”

The map refreshes every 24 hours and displays data for the previous six-month period. To protect the privacy of individuals, calls are aggregated and pinned to cross street locations rather than specific addresses and are categorized according to the Uniform Crime Reporting standards.

The map is viewable on both the MHPS and CMH websites. Visit mhps.ca and click on the Crime Map link located under the Quick Links menu or download the MHPS mobile app, which is free and available for both Apple and android devices. Alternately, click the crime map button at medicinehat.ca/maps.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Rita Sittler
Administrative Services Manager
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-529-8416

On October 18, 2023, the Medicine Hat Police Service responded to a report of thefts from travel trailers stored at a secure facility in the NW Brier Park industrial area of Medicine Hat. The investigation is in its early stages, and it is believed that ten (10) travel trailers have been unlawfully entered.

The MHPS is actively investigating the incident, to determine the extent of damage and loss incurred by the affected trailer owners and identify the person(s) responsible. Investigators are working in close cooperation with both the trailer owners and the operators of the storage facility. Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact the MHPS at 403-529-8481 or submit a tip (anonymously if preferred) via the MHPS website (mhps.ca) or mobile app. The MHPS mobile app is free to download and available for both Apple and Android Devices.

Media Contact:

Acting Inspector Harley Kelser
Operational Services Division
Medicine Hat Police Service
PH 403-581-3791

Sienna Elliot, who was previously reported as a missing person has been safely located. The Medicine Hat Police Service is appreciative the the support provided by the community locating Sienna. 

ALERT Medicine Hat’s organized crime unit, with the assistance of Brooks RCMP, the Medicine Hat Police Service and ALERT, is currently conducting a number of search warrants in the city of Brooks as part of an on-going investigation.

Six homes are being searched and a number of suspects have been taken into custody. There is no risk to the public.

No additional information will be provided at this time. Media will be informed of additional details at a later date.

 

The Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) is requesting public assistance to locate a missing woman, Sienna Elliott.

Sienna was reported as missing to the MHPS on September 26, 2023. Sienna has not been in contact with her family since July 26^th, 2023. While her last known address is in Medicine Hat, she was reportedly seen in Edmonton, AB and Swift Current, SK in July and may have been making her way to Vancouver, BC.

Sienna Elliott is described as an Indigenous female, 28 years old, slim build weighing approximately 120 lbs, 5’2” tall with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on Sienna’s whereabouts is asked to contact the MHPS at 403-529-8481 or the local police service of your jurisdiction.

Media Contact:

S/Sgt Rod Thompson
Patrol Section
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-529-8461

A Medicine Hat man has been charged with arson in connection to a suspicious fire.

On September 22, 2023, at 5:06 AM members of the Medicine Hat Police Service and Medicine Hat Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire in the 1300 block of 7^th Avenue NE, Medicine Hat. When crews arrived on scene a travel trailer and detached garage were fully engulfed in flames. The fire was quickly brought under control and extinguished, however not before the garage structure, travel trailer and contents were destroyed. The total value of the damage is estimated at $150,000.

The matter was quickly determined to be an arson and the ensuing investigation led to the arrest of a Joseph Haynes, 51, of Medicine Hat. Haynes has been charged with one count of arson and breaching the conditions of a prior undertaking. He was held for a Judicial Interim Release hearing and released pending his next court appearance which is scheduled for October 17, 2023.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone who was a witness to, or has additional surveillance footage of this incident, is asked to contact the Medicine Hat Police Service at 403-529-8481.

Media Contact

S/Sgt. Jason Graham
Criminal Investigation Section
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-529-8421