An inter-provincial crime spree was brought to a halt in Nanoose Bay last week after local residents called the RCMP to report a truck driving through their property in the wee hours of the morning.
Two suspects, a man and a woman from Alberta, were arrested and face charges on “several counts” of possession of stolen property, Oceanside RCMP reported in a written release.
The residents of the rural home on Seablush Drive were awakened at approximately 3 a.m. on Aug. 29, RCMP said. The homeowner went to check on who was on the property and observed two people fleeing the scene on foot into the woods.
Police responded to a call from the homeowner and determined the Ford truck left behind on the property was a stolen vehicle. A search of the property turned up a second stolen vehicle.
“The vehicles appeared to have been used to commit crimes and camp in,” Oceanside RCMP spokesperson Jesse Foreman said.
Both vehicles were seized and towed for further forensic examination, Foreman added. Before the vehicles were removed from the site, however, evidence collected from the vehicles and the property led police to a local hotel where the suspects, a 44-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman were located and arrested.
“The suspects, who had family ties in the area, appeared to have left Alberta and been on a crime spree including theft of vehicles and items along the way,” Foreman said. “The file was well-investigated and the evidence gathered stopped a crime spree from continuing. It is satisfying to return property to the rightful owners.”
In its release, Oceanside RCMP also noted the property owners had no involvement with the criminal acts and co-operated fully with police.
— NEWS Staff/Oceanside RCMP
