Skip to content

Chop shop search warrant results in Lacombe County charges

The Priority Crimes Task Force recovered more than $400,000 worth of property during a search warrant...
39465pipestoneflyerLacombecrimewave
Blackfalds RCMP were provided information on the property in the spring of 2016 and have been actively investigating it since that time.

Submitted by RCMP K Division

The Priority Crimes Task Force recovered more than $400,000 worth of property during a search warrant at an alleged chop shop at a property in Lacombe County on September 9.

Blackfalds RCMP were provided information on the property in the spring of 2016 and have been actively investigating it since that time. A previous search warrant conducted at the property on March 23 by Blackfalds and Red Deer RCMP resulted in police recovering a stolen truck, flat deck trailer, motorcycle and backhoe, valued at approximately $150,000. Since that time, Blackfalds RCMP have continued to conduct regular proactive patrols of the property, recovering several more stolen trailers and laying criminal charges against several individuals.

In early September, the Priority Crimes Task Force was brought in to assist with the ongoing investigation of this property. At approximately 9 am on September 9, police officers from the task force, including Blackfalds RCMP, Sylvan Lake RCMP, Red Deer General Investigative Section, the RCMP Emergency Response Team and Red Deer Police Dog Services, executed the search warrant at a property on Range Road 250 in Lacombe County. Task force members were supported in this search by Edmonton Air Services.

During the September 9 search of the residence and a Quonset outbuilding, police recovered:

  • · a solar-powered generator valued at $65,000
  • · 5 motorcycles
  • · 1 bobcat
  • · 2 utility trailers
  • · 4 trucks
  • · 6 ATVs
  • · 1 snowmobile
  • · 1 car
  • · 1 riding lawnmower
  • · a custom-made welding unit

Many of the vehicles had VINs removed or altered and some were in various stages of disassembly. The total estimated value of these large seized items is approximately $400,000. Police also seized firearms, ammunition and other weapons, crack cocaine, methamphetamine and various as-yet unidentified pills, drug paraphernalia, a number of stolen tools and more than $10,000 in cash.

35 year old Brandy Lynn Cobbe of Lacombe County has been charged with the following offences:

  • · Criminal Code 355(b) - Possession of Property obtained by crime under $5000 X 3
  • · Criminal Code 355(a) - Possession of Property obtained by crime over $5000 X 7
  • · CDSA 4(1) - Possession of Illegal Substance
  • · CDSA 5(2) - Possession of Illegal Substance for the purpose of trafficking

Cobbe was released on a recognizance and is scheduled to appear in court on September 21 in Red Deer at 8:30 am.

Priority Crimes Task Force members continue to investigate and further arrests and charges are pending; RCMP will issue updates as those charges are sworn before the courts.

“We’re grateful to the public for continuing to bring suspicious properties to our attention,” says Staff Sergeant Ken Morrison of the Blackfalds RCMP. “Thanks to support from the community and the combined resources of the Priority Crimes Task Force, we have put a stop to another criminal enterprise that was having a negative impact on task force communities.”

The Priority Crimes Task Force is made up of members from Red Deer RCMP General Investigative Section (GIS), Sylvan Lake, Innisfail, Blackfalds, Ponoka and Rocky Mountain House RCMP detachments and Lacombe Police Service. The task force is committed to increased inter-agency communication, shared criminal intelligence and a strategic focus on prolific property crimes offenders, in keeping with the K Division emphasis on crime reduction strategies.