Two men have been charged after fleeing from police in Oak Bay, near St. Stephen, according to the New Brunswick RCMP.
Police said on Dec. 10, around 1:50 a.m., the St. Stephen RCMP attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation on Highway 1 near Oak Bay.
“As police approached, the driver of the vehicle performed a U-turn, and started driving into oncoming traffic,” the release said. “Shortly after, a tire deflation device was successfully deployed, but the vehicle kept travelling at a low speed.”
The vehicle came to a stop off Loop Road, in Upper Mills, according to the RCMP release. The two men were arrested without incident.
The following piece of body armour was seized during the arrest. (New Brunswick RCMP/Submitted)
“Subsequent to the arrest, police were able to determine that the vehicle used was stolen. Police conducted a search of the vehicle and seized a loaded weapon, a prohibited weapon, hard-plate body armour, and other items,” the release said.
Kody Hiltz, 26, was charged and appeared in Saint John Provincial Court.
His charges included:
- Resisting arrest.
- Dangerous operation of motor vehicle.
- Careless use of a firearm.
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm.
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle.
- Weapons possession contrary to an order and failure to surrender authorization.
- Failure to comply with a probation order.
- Driving a motor vehicle while being prohibited.
- Flight from police.
Hiltz remains in custody and is scheduled to return to court, but no date was provided.
Patrick Harris, 40, was also arrested due to the incident and appeared in provincial court.
He is charged with:
- Careless use of a firearm
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle
- Weapons possession contrary to an order and failure to surrender authorization
- Failure to comply with a probation order
- Assault of a police officer with a weapon
He remains in custody, according to the RCMP, and is scheduled to return to court at a later date.
“The New Brunswick RCMP is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and removing illegal firearms from our communities to make our province safer,” said Cpl. Peter Lambert of the St. Stephen RCMP in the release. ” I would like to commend the officers involved for their professionalism and effective coordination, which ensured a safe resolution to the situation without any injuries to the public.”
Hiltz was also charged, convicted and served time on firearms related incident back in October 2023, RCMP have confirmed.
Lambert said the RCMP shares the frustrations of the public on prolific offenders.
“We can understand, the best we can, the frustration of the public, we’re doing the best we can,” he said, speaking with CHCO-TV. “The arresting officers went above and beyond to ensure the safety to the public and themselves.”
The investigation is ongoing.
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