(FORT FRANCES, ON) – One individual has been arrested and charged following an incident at a local grocery store in Fort Frances.
On June 10, 2024, just before 7:30 p.m., members of the Rainy River District Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to an incident at a local grocery store in the Town of Fort Frances where an individual verbally threatened an employee.
As a result, a 24-year-old individual of Fort Frances has been arrested and charged under the Criminal Code with Uttering Threats – Cause Death or Bodily Harm.
The accused has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Fort Frances on July 22, 2024.
CANOEIST FOUND DECEASED
(SAGANAGONS LAKE) – A canoeist who had gone missing in Quetico Provincial Park was found deceased.
On June 9, 2024, just before 4:00 p.m., the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit located the body of the 25-year-old male from Indianapolis, Indiana.
On June 5, 2024, members of the Thunder Bay Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Emergency Response Team (ERT), and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) responded to an incident at Saganagons Lake in Quetico Provincial Park where two canoes capsized with six individuals on board. Five individuals were located. The OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit, ERT, and MNRF are engaged to assist in the search for the missing man.
A section of Quetico Provincial Park was closed for the investigation. It has since re-opened.
BEAR ATTACK
WABAKIMI PROVINCIAL PARK, ON) – One individual has been transported to hospital for non-life-threatening injuries following a bear attack in a remote area near Armstrong.
On June 12, 2024, at approximately 8:30 a.m., members of the Armstrong Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police, along with Emergency Medical Services (EMS), responded to a report of a bear attack inside a camp in a remote area in Wabakimi Provincial Park.
Officers responded to the area and located one individual with non-life-threatening injuries. The individual was transported to hospital by EMS to be treated for their injuries. The bear was gone upon arrival.
Individuals are reminded to use extreme caution when encountering bears and other wildlife. For information on how to prevent and report encounters with black bears, contact the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry or visit www.ontrio.ca/page/prevent-bear-counters-bear-wise, https://www.ontario.ca/page/bear-wise-tips-and-tools.
Emergency Situations:
Call 911 or your local police if a bear poses an immediate threat to personal safety and exhibits threatening or aggressive behaviour, such as:
· enters a school yard when school is in session
· stalks people and lingers at the site
· enters or tries to enter a residence
· wanders into a public gathering
· kills livestock/pets and lingers at the site
Police will respond first to an emergency situation but may request assistance from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry during daylight hours.
Non-Emergency Encounters:
Call the toll-free Bear Wise reporting line at 1-866-514-2327 or TTY 705-945-7641 if a bear:
· roams around or checks garbage cans
· breaks into a shed where garbage or food is stored
· is in a tree
· pulls down a bird feeder or knocks over a barbecue
· moves through a backyard or field but does not linger
This line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from April 1 to November 30.
