Local man in custody after police find weapons, plus stolen property, documents

By JEREMY APPEL on February 28, 2020.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel

A man is in custody after police found stolen items, identity documents that didn’t belong to him, drugs, brass knuckles and a butterfly knife at his residence.

The Medicine Hat Police Service priority street crimes unit executed a search warrant Tuesday on a residence in the 500 block of Fifth Street SE frequented by 33-year-old Jason Higdon, who faces a total of 44 charges resulting from this incident.

MHPS Staff Sgt. Cory Both of the community safety section told the News they had received complaints that criminal activity was occurring at a house in the neighbourhood.

“We had identified a nuisance neighbour through community concern and tips from the public that got our attention,” Both explained.

As a result police kept an eye on the residence, “monitoring the coming and going,” he said.

“In this case, we had a young woman who had shoplifted from the Circle K earlier in the day come to this house after shoplifting, which was the catalyst for us getting the search warrant, entering the residence and discovering a whole array of stolen items,” said Both.

“The activity and coming-and-going of people associated with the address gave us a pretty good indication that it was a hub of criminal activity for trafficking and trading stolen property.”

The property is in the process of being returned to its owners and police continue to monitor activity at the residence in question, an MHPS news release says.

Higdon faces two counts each of possessing a controlled substance, possessing a prohibited weapon, possession of weapons dangerous to the public and breach of probation, four of breaching a weapons prohibition order, five of possessing credit card data, 11 of possessing identity documents and 14 of possessing stolen property under $5,000, as well as one each of breaching a release order and breaching recognizance.

He has been denied bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 11.

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