Quick court date for man accused of falsely reporting river accident

By Peggy Revell on February 22, 2018.

prevell@medicinehatnews.com @MHNprevell

A man charged with public mischief following a false report about someone falling into the South Saskatchewan River had a brief court appearance Wednesday.

The court heard that the Crown has approved Drew Tweed, 41, for a diversion program, which will require him to be assessed, connected with community resources and have to complete programming and meet certain goals.

If successfully completed, the charges will likely be withdrawn. Tweed’s next court appearance is now set for May 30.

Diversion programs in Alberta are for those who commit minor, low-risk crimes and are often first-time offenders.

The false report was made on June 7, with members of the Redcliff RCMP, South East Alberta Search and Rescue and Medicine Fire Services all searched the river to find the missing man. The search was called off after further investigation by the MHPS Major Crimes Section found the report to be false.

The false report was made as local rescue officials were in the midst of searching for a 21-year-old B.C. man who was swept away by the river while swimming on May 31. The man’s body has never been recovered.