BERWICK, N.S. — A man arrested by RCMP at a Berwick gas station on Thursday was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for violating the terms of his recent release from prison.
Justin Jody Dempster, 30, of Clementsport was arrested at the Irving station shortly before 1:30 p.m.
RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Jennifer Clarke said that several officers responded to the incident and interpreted the risk to police and public safety as high, so “they responded appropriately.”
Several unmarked police cars were at the station when Dempster was arrested. Clarke said she couldn't comment on reports that Dempster was being followed beforehand.
An RCMP dog handler was also on the scene. Clarke said Dempster was arrested inside the station and struggled with police, sustaining a minor injury for which he was treated at hospital before being returned to the custody of the Correctional Service of Canada.
She wouldn't comment on the nature of the injury, but paramedics were called to the Kingston RCMP office to treat someone who had been bitten by a dog.
Two other people arrested at the scene were released.
Dempster was sentenced in Kentville provincial court last June to 15 months in custody for two counts of theft and break and enter. The sentence was added to a three-year prison sentence he was handed in September 2016 for break and enter, being at large, failure to comply with a court order, break and enter with intent to commit an indictable offence, assaulting a peace officer and escaping custody.
Dempster has been on the run from police before. He was arrested in November 2015, a month after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with dozens of break-ins and thefts in Annapolis and Digby counties and the Hampton and Saint John areas of New Brunswick over a three-month period.
RCMP said at the time that Dempster was known for fleeing from police recklessly and without regard for public safety.
