MEADOW LAKE — A 26-year-old man with a history of evading police and escaping custody has been granted bail.
Christopher Ernest was released after his appearance in Meadow Lake Provincial Court on March 16. He is scheduled to return to court in May for a trial.
Ernest was wanted by Meadow Lake RCMP for a shooting on Waterhen Lake First Nation in June 2025. Police responded to a report of an altercation between a group of individuals where shots were fired. A man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The following month, Ernest was arrested in Sherwood Park, Alta., on new firearm-related offences. He remained in custody in Alberta while facing several other charges in Sherwood Park and Calgary, some dating back to 2023.
On Oct. 29, 2025, an Alberta court withdrew five charges against him. Ernest pleaded guilty to five others and he was given a global jail sentence of 195 days, minus 175 days credit for time served while on remand.
With his Alberta charges resolved, Ernest was brought back to Saskatchewan to face numerous charges, including those related to the June shooting on Waterhen Lake First Nation, being unlawfully at large, and failing to appear in court.
History of fleeing police and escaping
According to parole documents, Ernest is a street gang member with a violent history of fleeing from police. He evaded capture in 2021 by dragging an officer with his vehicle when they were trying to arrest him for breaching release conditions.
While on remand for those offences, he escaped custody when he was appearing in Meadow Lake Provincial Court on weapons and assault charges. He fled from the courthouse and was later apprehended in Edmonton and returned to Saskatchewan.
In February 2023, while on statutory release for his previous offence, he was located by police driving a stolen vehicle at high speeds in a dangerous manner, only stopping when the vehicle became stuck in deep snow. He resisted arrest, and a search of the stolen vehicle uncovered firearms, a knife, and ammunition.
Ernest's co-accused, Brandon McCallum of Canoe Lake First Nation, is scheduled back in Canoe Lake Circuit Court on June 11, where he will appear by CCTV from the remand centre.
