The former president of the Students’ Association of Mount Royal University (SAMRU) is facing charges of robbery and possession of a prohibited weapon in connection with the robbery of a bank Feb. 29 in Calgary.
Calgary police say a disguised woman entered a branch of the Servus Credit Union Bank and handed over a note which stated she had a weapon and wanted money.
Police say the teller, who said she saw what could have been the handle of the knife, handed over an envelope filled with an undisclosed amount of money.
The suspect then allegedly jumped into a P.T. Cruiser. But bank employees were able to see the license plate and a car which matched the description was later spotted by a police helicopter. Officers on the ground were able to confirm the plate number.
Meghan Darcy Melnyk, who was alone with her dog at the time, was taken into custody at the scene, according to police.
Melnyk, 27, had been the president of the SAMRU up until Jan. 19, when she resigned after “several potential anomalies and policy compliance issues which could not be explained within” were discovered in the initial stages of a two-part probe, according to a SAMRU press release.
Melnyk couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation to the anomalies in a sufficient amount of time, the release further stated.
Though SAMRU’s vice-president (external) Michelle Dennis refused to comment on the anomalies, Calgary police spokeswoman Emma Poole said police are waiting to see how much money Melnyk had access to through SAMRU.
The amount of money involved will decide whether the case will proceed civilly or criminally, Poole said.
SAMRU has an annual operating budget of $7 million, according to their website, and a balance sheet of roughly $23 million, according to a financial statement approved during their annual general meeting Nov. 30.
Melnyk also had outstanding arrest warrants for uttering forged documents, fraud, and breach of probation, which were carried out at the time of her arrest according to police.
Currently, there are no background checks done on students who apply for executive positions within the students’ association, Dennis said.
After her resignation, Melnyk released a statement highlighting some of her favourite moments of her candidacy.
“I am very proud of the work I’ve done at the students association,” Melnyk wrote in her statement. “I was also able to enhance the student voice through my lobbying and advocacy work.”
