A man on the Justice Ministry’s High Risk Offender Identification Program will stand trial in Salmon Arm in March.
Thirty-seven-year-old Mark Salai faces eight charges which include uttering threats and possessing firearms without a licence. His trial is set to begin on March 5, judge only without jury, in BC Provincial Court in Salmon Arm.
According to a news release issued by Salmon Arm RCMP on Oct. 25, the incident involved a father and his son at a residence on Highway 97 B.
Related link: High-risk offender faces weapons charges
The son, Mark Salai, stands charged with: mischief or willfully damaging property under $5,000; uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm; uttering threats to burn, destroy or damage property; two charges of possessing a rifle while prohibited from doing so; possessing a firearm without a licence or registration; possessing a weapon obtained through an offence; and storing a rifle in a manner contrary to regulation.
Staff Sgt. Scott West said when police arrived at the Highway 97B residence, the victim was safe but the suspect had left the house in a vehicle and was believed to be in the community.
RCMP Police Dog Services were called in to assist as local officers tried to locate the man. Subsequent patrols and investigation located the suspect’s vehicle on Okanagan Avenue in Salmon Arm with no occupants.
Police say they were able to talk to the suspect by phone while he was on foot in the area and eventually located him shortly before 9 p.m.
During the arrest, the man refused to respond to police directions and the police dog was used to subdue the suspect, West reported. He was later treated at Shuswap Lake General Hospital for minor injuries associated with the arrest.
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