Repeat offender back behind bars after scary incident

A Mitchell man is facing 14 charges after an incident in Steinbach where he threatened a woman leaving a local park, stole her vehicle and followed her after.

Steinbach RCMP said on Oct. 4 at 2:55 a.m., they learned of the incident that happened about six hours earlier at a park on Giesbrecht Street.

“Through their investigation officers learned the victim was getting ready to leave the park in her vehicle when the male suspect forced himself into her vehicle,” an Oct. 7 news release stated. “The suspect, who was known to the female, was holding bear mace and threatened her.”

The victim, a 43-year-old female from La Broquerie was able to escape but the suspect continued to follow her in the vehicle before leaving, stealing the vehicle, keys and cell phone.

Police say the victim suffered minor but non-life-threatening injuries.

At 3:15 a.m., police found the stolen vehicle in La Broquerie. The driver attempted to escape by hitting a parked vehicle and then drove into a ditch getting stuck.

The driver was arrested without incident, but police say a knife fell from his person during the arrest.

Cody Hartog, 30, faces charges including assault, robbery, possession of stolen property obtained by crime over $5,000, trafficking methamphetamine, four counts of failing to comply with conditions of a release order, operation of a conveyance while prohibited, fail to stop a motor vehicle while being pursued, two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon and failure to remain at the scene of an accident.

This isn’t Hartog’s first brush with the law.

He was sentenced to 12.5 months in jail on Nov. 1, 2024 for a series of crimes committed from May 21 to July 5.

Because he had been in custody for 124 days between and after the 2024 crimes, it counted as 186 days of credit, leaving him six months and nine days to serve.