PRINCE ALBERT — A 30-year-old man accused of leaving two people lost and injured in a forest in January north of Prince Albert is headed to trial.
The trial for Justin Redman Charles is set for June in Prince Albert Provincial Court.
Charles was arrested on Jan. 22 after Prince Albert Police Service located him at a home in the city. He had been wanted by Prince Albert RCMP in connection with an incident in the RM of Buckland on Jan. 7. He is charged with numerous assault and weapons-related charges and remains in custody.
Police were called around 3 a.m. on Jan. 7 after receiving a report that a man was being chased by someone with a weapon. According to RCMP, an altercation had taken place between two men and a woman in a vehicle, during which Charles allegedly assaulted the others. Police say he took them into a forested area, pointed a firearm at them, and pulled the trigger. The gun didn’t fire, and the victims fled deeper into the woods, becoming lost.
Officers used a drone to search the area and found the male victim. Officers guided him out using the drone’s spotlight and verbal instructions over the phone. He was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police Dog Service and ground search teams, supported by the drone’s aerial view, later found the female victim inside an SUV in a remote area. Officers reached her by snowmobile and took her to a waiting ambulance. She was also taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
