Jeffery Fendelet of Onoway is behind bars today after a highspeed chase and what appears to be an attempted kidnapping Sunday evening. The events culminated in a large scale RCMP deployment Sunday night that ended with the suspect being taken into custody after the pursuit finally ended on foot in a rural subdivision.
The events began Sunday when Evansburg RCMP responded to a call reporting that an adult may have been kidnapped at gun point in the Evansburg area of Highway 16A and Range Road 81.
The call resulted in a mass mobilization of resources and units from around North Central Alberta including officers from the following detachments
- Evansburg
- Edson
- Whitecourt
- Drayton Valley
- Parkland
- Hinton
- Barrhead
- Saddle Lake
In addition to the responding units, the Province’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft System ( RPAS ) and Major Crimes unit was all activated along with the Emergency Response Team and the Federal Serious & Organized Crime Unit.
High Speed Chase Followed by On Foot Pursuit
When RCMP located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, the driver fled at an extremely high rate of speed and despite the poor winter road conditions a pursuit was initiated due to the perceived danger of the to the victim. After a chase resulted in the RCMP bringing the vehicle to a stop – the driver fled on foot and the victim was safely secured by responding RCMP officers.
A shelter in place order was issued via social media, and with the assistance of the Drone aircraft from the RPAS, the police corned the suspect in a rural residential area north of Range Road 150 where he was spotted running behind a shed and then attempted to break into a residence only be directly confronted by the home owner. Fleeing into the wooded area, RCMP contained the man where he eventually surrendered with no further incident.
Jeffery Joseph Fendelet (50), of Onoway, has now been charged with flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, resist/obstruct a police officer, mischief under $5000, break and enter to a residence and forcible confinement.
Fendelet was brought before a Justice of the Peace in Stony Plain, where he was remanded for a court date on Feb. 5, 2025. This investigation is still ongoing.
Have Information on this Incident ?
The Evansburg RCMP is seeking the public’s assistance with any information regarding the incident and any dashcam footage if available. Anyone with information in relation this incident is asked to please contact the Evansburg RCMP at 780-727-4446 or your local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8377 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.
