Two men, 54-year-old Rodney Harris and 51-year-old Jerry Pearce, were arrested on May 1, 2024, by Bonavista RCMP after an attempted theft of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) from a residential property in Bonavista. Both men are charged with a number of criminal offences.
At approximately 11:00 p.m. on May 1, police received a report that Harris and another man, later identified as Jerry Pearce, attempted to steal an ATV that was parked on a residential property. The homeowner approached the two men, chased them off and was threatened.
Bonavista RCMP located Harris and Pearce a short distance away and found them in possession of suspected stolen property. The two ran from police and were arrested after a short foot chase, which ended in the use of a taser by one of the arresting officers. The suspected stolen property led police to discovering a break and enter that had occurred earlier in the evening at a business in Bonavista.
Rodney Harris attended court on May 2. He was remanded into custody and will appear in court again today. He is charged with the following criminal offences:
- Uttering threats against a person
- Theft under $5000
- Break and Enter
- Possession of property obtained by crime
- Trespass at night
- Breach of a release order – two counts
Jerry Pearce attended court on May 2 and was released by a judge on a number of conditions. He is set to appear in court at a later date. Pearce is charged with the following criminal offences:
- Theft under $5000
- Break and enter
- Possession of property obtained by crime
- Trespass at night
- Resisting a peace officer
RCMP NL continues to fulfill its mandate to protect public safety, enforce the law, and ensure delivery of priority policing services in Newfoundland and Labrador.