**** RCMP Media Release
Kings District RCMP charge man in dangerous operation incidents
Kings District RCMP has charged a man in dangerous operation incidents in Kings County.
On July 2, 2023, at approximately 7 p.m., Kings District RCMP received a driving complaint about a Ford Ranger doing burnouts on Tremont Mountain Rd. in Tremont. RCMP officers conducted patrols in the area but could not locate the Ranger. RCMP officers also learned that the Ranger had been stolen from the Torbrook area in Annapolis County.
At approximately 8:20 p.m., Kings District RCMP received a report of a hit and run on Harmony Rd. in Nicholsville. RCMP officers learned that two people had been travelling in a Jeep Wrangler looking for the stolen Ford Ranger when they located it driving on Harmony Rd. The driver of the Jeep Wrangler confronted the driver of the Ford Ranger and the Ranger drove forward directly into the driver of the Wrangler. The driver of the Wrangler was thrown to the ground during the collision and the Ranger fled the scene. The driver of the Wrangler suffered serious injuries and was transported to hospital by ambulance.
At approximately 8:50 p.m., Kings District RCMP responded to a report of two people attending a property on Canaan Rd., in Morristown, looking for a stolen Ford Ranger. The complainant advised that they later observed the same two people driving a station wagon in pursuit of a Ford Ranger driving recklessly down Canaan Rd. RCMP officers conducted patrols in the area but could not locate the Ranger or the station wagon.
At approximately 9:20 p.m, RCMP officers located the Ford Ranger on a trail in Auburn. No one was present in or around the vehicle at the time. RCMP officers secured the area and contacted RCMP Police Dog Services (PDS) to assist.
While RCMP PDS was on route, at approximately 9:50 p.m., Kings District RCMP received a report of a possible shooting that had occurred an hour prior, on Aylesford Rd. in Morristown. RCMP officers learned that a man, driving a Kia Forte, had been chasing the stolen Ford Ranger on Aylesford Rd. when the driver of the Ranger rammed the Forte causing significant damage. The driver then displayed a firearm and shot at the driver of the Forte before fleeing the area. The driver of the Forte suffered minor injuries during the collision with the Ranger, but was not suffering from any injuries related to a gunshot.
The Nova Scotia RCMP Emergency Response Team was contacted to assist, and once they and PDS arrived, a track was conducted that led to a home on Hwy. 1 in Auburn. As the track was being conducted, further information was obtained by RCMP officers that led to the identification of the driver of the Ranger. The suspect was not located at the home in Auburn.
On July 4, RCMP officers located the suspect at a home on Crocker Rd. in Harmony and safely arrested him. The man was held in custody overnight.
Sam Maxwell Chute, 33, of Harmony, has been charged with Dangerous Operation of a Conveyance Causing Bodily Harm and Possession of Property Obtained by Crime. Chute appeared in Kentville Provincial Court and was remanded into custody. He will return to court on August 1, 2023.
The investigation remains ongoing and is being assisted by RCMP Forensic Identification Services. Further charges related to these incidents are anticipated.
Kings District RCMP would like to note that many of the instances that occurred were the result of vigilantism; members of the public attempted to locate the stolen vehicle themselves, rather than calling police to investigate. Vigilantism is risky and dangerous behaviour that will not be tolerated.
