CORNER BROOK, N.L. — The Royal Canadian Mounted Police says it was concerned for all sitting members of the House of Assembly in the Humber Valley area as well as local candidates of any political stripe in the upcoming provincial election when it arrested a Shoal Brook man who was reportedly on his way to Deer Lake “to stop the election” on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, 66-year-old George Brake appeared before a judge in provincial court in Corner Brook where he faced four charges — possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, uttering threats, dangerous operation of a vehicle and flight from police.
His case was set over for Thursday, at which time he’s scheduled to have a bail hearing.
The events that led to Brake’s arrest began just before 10:15 a.m. Tuesday when a concerned citizen called the RCMP after seeing a pickup truck travelling from the Bonne Bay area at high and dangerous speeds
Officers spotted the truck about 20 minutes later, but it refused to pull over. They finally took Brake into custody at about 10:42 a.m. when his vehicle stopped in Deer Lake near the office of a current political candidate, according to information released during a news conference Wednesday afternoon at the RCMP headquarters in St. John’s.
Police say 26 hunting and tactical knives were located in Brake’s pickup and they showed pictures of that cache of weapons during Wednesday’s news briefing.
The RCMP also says Brake threatened to execute local political candidates.
Liberal Leader Andrew Furey is the MHA for Gros Morne, which includes Deer Lake. A Liberal campaign party officer has said Furey was the likely target, but on Wednesday, police insisted there was no specific politician named and that all candidates were targeted.
Officers have been at Brake’s residence today.
The Telegram will have more reaction on the incident in Thursday’s edition.
