Source: Manitoba RCMP
Pembina Valley RCMP have charged four people — including the rural property owner who confronted them — after a late‑night fuel‑theft call escalated into a firearm incident southwest of Carman.
Police were dispatched around 10:45 p.m. on August 15 after a motion‑activated camera alerted a 66‑year‑old landowner to suspicious activity on his property. Investigators say four suspects had visited earlier in the day, then returned that night in two vehicles later confirmed stolen from Watrous, Saskatchewan. The owner drove to the scene and found the suspects transferring fuel into one of the stolen trucks.
RCMP say the man confronted the group while armed and fired several shots toward the vehicles. Three suspects stayed at the scene and were arrested when officers arrived; stolen items were recovered from the truck. A fourth suspect fled but was located the next morning after the second vehicle was found abandoned in a nearby canola field.
Charges were laid against three suspects — Dylan Slaunwhite, 29, of Hanover; Kenneth Schultz, 47, of Emerson‑Franklin; and a 41‑year‑old woman also from Emerson‑Franklin — ranging from theft and possession of stolen property to mischief, trespassing and possessing break‑in tools. Slaunwhite also faces a weapons‑related charge. Two were remanded into custody; the woman was released on an undertaking.
RCMP also arrested the property owner, who is charged with multiple counts of careless firearm use, using a firearm in the commission of an offence, and reckless discharge. He was released on an undertaking.
