Fourteen criminal charges have been filed against Cameron Edward Jake Urquhart, the 41-year-old accused of the violent attack on staff at the Village of Keremeos offices.

On Jan. 24, RCMP were called to the Village offices at 10:50 a.m. after witnesses reported a man threatening staff while brandishing a sledgehammer and a knife.

The man allegedly assaulted staff inside the office, as well as damaged property.

As employees escaped from the building, the man followed them outside while continuing to yell and assault them, said police.

When RCMP arrived he allegedly assaulted an officer before he was arrested. After he was arrested he continued to struggle and resist the officers, according to RCMP.

Urquhart was scheduled to appear in Penticton鈥檚 Law Courts on Jan. 25, and his next appearance is in Kelowna Law Courts on Jan. 28.

He is facing 14 charges: three charges of assault with a weapon; two charges of assault causing bodily harm, one charge of assaulting a peace officer, one charge of assault, one charge of robbery, one charge of resisting or obstructing a peace officer, one charge of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, one charge of forcible entry, one charge of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and one charge of mischief.

In April 2021, Keremeos RCMP issued a missing person alert for Urquhart but then took the alert down when he was found that day.

The Village offices will be closed for the next few days. The Village office entrance door can be seen boarded shut from the incident.

鈥淎 police incident at the Village Office today (Monday) has resulted in numerous staff members being unable to attend work. The office will be closed to the public in upcoming days,鈥� said a message to village residents.

Anyone with any additional information on this incident is asked to contact the Keremeos RCMP at 250-499-5511.

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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