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Police dog wins

They say the Mounties always get their man — and that motto could well be extended to their dog squad after they ran down a suspect in Bowser last week.

They say the Mounties always get their man — and that motto could well be extended to their dog squad after they ran down a suspect in Bowser last week.

Oceanside RCMP Corporal Richard van de Pol said the action started when emergency services received a call about a single motor vehicle crash on Island Highway near Bowser.

“A red, Honda Civic ran into a power pole,” van de Pol said. “As it happened, a person who stopped at the scene of the accident was a fire first responder and examined a male in the vehicle.”

Following the brief examination however, the man grabbed a backpack from the rear of the vehicle and took to his heels, disappearing into the nearby woods.

“The dog services were called and the man was located a short time later, hiding in the forest,” van de Pol said. “The vehicle was reported stolen from Courtenay.”

The man, Nanaimo resident Gerald Cook, 30, was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property and theft of a vehicle, along with possession of break in tools.

Cook appeared in B.C. Provincial Court in Nanaimo on Thursday and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance, slated for Jan. 18.

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