A Leroy, Saskatchewan man took cravings for ice cream to a whole new level – and landed himself in the middle of a Tisdale RCMP investigation..On July 31, at approximately 5 p.m., Tisdale RCMP received a complaint a helicopter had landed in a high traffic parking lot on 101st Street in Tisdale, Sask, roughly 200 km east of Saskatoon..When it landed, the helicopter blew up dust and debris through the area that included schools and a pool..A police investigation determined the landing was not an emergency..A female passenger of the helicopter exited the aircraft and entered the nearby Dairy Queen to buy an ice cream cake..Officers determined the pilot, a 34-year-old man from Leroy, was licensed to fly the helicopter, but that it was illegal to land it where he did..The pilot was charged with one count of dangerous operation of an aircraft on August 4 under Section 320.13(1)(a) of the Criminal Code. He will appear in court in Melfort on September 7. He faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in jail..Mayor Al Jellicoe was driving by at the time and saw the red helicopter with his own eyes, resting in the parking lot of the town’s middle and secondary school..A woman got out of the chopper, crossed the street in front of Jellicoe and went into the local Dairy Queen..“Well, I thought somebody must be hungry,” Jellicoe recounted to the CBC..“Initially, I thought that’s probably not the right thing to do.”.At first, Jellicoe thought the helicopter was a STARS air ambulance, but soon realized it was not..“Actually, the parking lot was empty when they landed,” he said..“I suppose that doesn’t make it right.”.Tisdale Dairy Queen employee Kiara Broeckel told the Canadian Press store workers were unaware the helicopter incident even happened until the RCMP issued a press release about Wednesday..She said some locals came to the store hoping to see another landing or to find out if the ice cream cake was good enough to justify a helicopter airlift..The incident made international headlines, even carried byNewsweek.com..Tisdale is the hometown of comedian Brett Butt and its nearby Doghide River inspired the fictional town of Dog River in his CTV program Corner Gas..Tisdale has just more than 3,000 people was formerly famous for its controversial slogan “Land of Rape and Honey.” The phrase referred to rapeseed (canola) grown in the area and local honey production, but no longer adorns the town sign..Lee Harding is a Saskatchewan-based correspondent for Western Standard.
