A central Saskatchewan man is on trial this week in Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench for attempted murder.
Cory Smockum, 38, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and attempt to choke, suffocate or strangle another person to render the person insensible, unconscious or incapable of resistance.
Smockum was charged by Saskatoon RCMP in October 2018. According to RCMP, on Oct. 14 at about 12:15 a.m. Saskatoon RCMP responded to a report of a man threatening a woman in the Hanley area. When police arrived they learned that the suspect had fled the scene on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), with the victim against her will.
Police located the ATV but the suspect refused to stop for police. They didn’t pursue because of the potential risk to the victim. While RCMP members continued to patrol, they found the victim walking along a rural road. She told police that the ATV had rolled, which allowed her to escape. She also told police she believed the suspect was injured in the rollover.
Police located the ATV but not the driver. The Police Dog Section (PDS) was brought in and the suspect was located a short time later hiding in an empty railcar nearby. He was arrested without incident and taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries he sustained in the collision.
The trial is expected to wrap up Friday.
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Lisa Joy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Battlefords Regional News-Optimist