Nanaimo RCMP’s skillful K9 officer Jager has once again managed to fearlessly capture another law breaker in town.
Police dog Jager has been featured in the news more than once for successfully taking down prolific offenders on Vancouver Island, and this time he underwent a 2 hour chase to do his job.
On Saturday February 16th, at approximately 5:30 p.m., 39-year-old David Banford and an an adult female were found in a private cabin at Deadwood Creek Campsite, near Nanaimo Lakes Road.
The cabin owners called the police before walking the two individuals to the main gate, at which time Banford decided to attack his captors with a can of pepper spray in order to make an escape.
When Cst Josh Grafton, Cst Tanner Fowler, and, RCMP police dog Jager arrived on site, they were able to take the woman into custody but Banford was nowhere to be seen.
A fruitful chase
Therein commenced a 2-hour long chase in which Jager led his fellow officers through foot deep snow and brush, up and down steep mountainous terrain and through freezing cold water before the trio finally found the suspect.
Banford was bitten several times during the arrest for which he received treatment before being transported to the Nanaimo RCMP detachment and held in custody overnight.
The suspect appeared in Nanaimo Provincial court on Tuesday, February 19th, and has been charged with two counts of Assault with a Weapon and Break and Enter. Following his court appearance, Banford was released from custody, with his next court appearance set for Tuesday March 5th.
The woman who accompanied him in the break and enter was charged with one count of the crime, and was later released on a Promise to Appear. Her first court appearance is on May 7th.
