Eleven people were arrested and 15 vehicles were found following the Kelowna RCMP’s initiative targeting auto theft suspects in the region.
Kelowna Street Enforcement Units worked with general duty members for the last week with a large surveillance team from the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team. A total of 11 people were arrested and 15 stolen vehicles were recovered by Kelowna RCMP and IMPACT, the RCMP said in a news release.
On July 23, five people were arrested after investigators observed two subjects in a stolen dump truck. Tasha Dawn Smith and Daniel Frank Briggs, both 40, were later charged with possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance. Three young offenders were charged in a separate incident after surveillance was established on a vehicle that was stolen earlier in the day. The names cannot be released, according to the RCMP in a news release.
On July 25, police observed a stolen vehicle driven by 19-year-old Kelowna resident Lenny James Lipscombe. He was arrested and charged with a single count of possession of stolen property and two counts of breach of his probation. Lipscombe was held in custody and faces 10 charges related to this and other incidents.
Two other individuals were arrested during the initiative however, charges have not been laid, the release said.
“While enforcement action is a valuable tool in reducing Auto Crime, the most valuable tool is in every citizen’s hand. Prevention. The majority of auto crime is the result of unsecured vehicles. Keys left in the vehicle, valuables left in plain view, and the lack of anti-theft devices contribute to high crime rates,” said Inspector Brian MacDonald, officer in charge of IMPACT.
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