Accused in armed forest assault seeking bail

Assault suspect seeking bail

Photo: Photo provided by RCMP.

Justin Charles.

A Prince Albert man accused in an incident that left two people lost and injured in a forest north of the city last month remains in custody and is seeking bail. 

Justin Redman Charles, 30, had an appearance in Prince Albert Provincial Court on Feb. 9, where he was remanded. A bail hearing is set for Feb. 18.

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.

Police were called around 3 a.m. for a report of a man being chased by someone with a weapon. RCMP say an altercation occurred between two men and a woman in a vehicle, and Charles assaulted the others. Police say he took them into a forested area, pointed a firearm at them and pulled the trigger. The victims weren’t injured but fled deeper into the woods and became lost.

Officers used a drone to search the area and found the male victim. They used the drone’s spotlight and provided verbal instructions over the phone to guide him out. 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 used snowmobiles to reach her and get her to an ambulance that was waiting at the scene. She was also taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Charles faces multiple assault and weapons-related charges and remains in custody pending his bail hearing.