RCMP say they caught a man in northern Saskatchewan red-handed during a routine home inspection.
On Thursday, Sept. 8, RCMP were searching a home in Sandy Bay as part of a man’s conditional sentence order. During the visit, police came across a door locked with a deadbolt.
When officers asked about the locked door, the occupant of the home got confrontational and was arrested and taken to the police vehicle. When police went back into the home, they saw the locked door was smashed open and the man police originally came to see was inside the room holding a small safe.
Upon seeing the police officers, the man cursed and dropped the safe. He was then arrested and removed from the home.
Inside the safe police found $28,000 in cash.
A further search of the home would turn up multiple rounds of ammunition and a number of guns, including one which had been stolen from Red Deer, Alta.
Other items seized from the property were consistent with what police describe as “a person who was involved in illegal activity.”
Leonard Merasty, 35, is facing a total of eight charges including obstructing a police officer, possession contrary to a prohibition order and possession of firearm knowing possession was not authorized.
RCMP could not comment on when Merasty was originally sentenced or what the conditions of his original sentence were.