The circumstances surrounding each arrest were similar to a wave of recent wilful damage to cars, but Prince Albert police were cautious about drawing a link.
“We don’t see any connection between the two youths, and at this point in the investigation we haven’t drawn any conclusions between these incidents and the previous incidents over the past few weekends,” Sgt. Kelly McLean said. “We don’t know specifically whether these are isolated incidents and unrelated to the previous ones or not.
“But the scenarios, the modus operandi … of these two individuals seems to fit some of the previous incidents that we’ve dealt with, especially those that have been area-consistent, when we show up and we’re dealing with five-plus vehicles that have had similar type damage done … We can’t prove that these individuals are responsible for those incidents in the past, but they’re very, very similar in nature, so it’s nice to be able to make a couple of arrests.”
The first arrest was made shortly after 5:33 a.m. when police were dispatched to the 900 block of Sanderson Crescent. A complainant had observed an unknown male in his parked vehicle, and responding officers found a 16-year-old male attempting to enter other parked vehicles in the area. The suspect attempted to evade officers, became aggressive and was then arrested at the scene.
We can’t prove that these individuals are responsible for those incidents in the past, but they’re very, very similar in nature, so it’s nice to be able to make a couple of arrests. - Sgt. Kelly McLean
A search revealed the suspect in possession of a small bag of coins and some vehicle accessories. Further investigation found seven vehicles in the immediate area that had been illegally entered, with the coins and accessories stolen from two of them. Vehicles had been ransacked with rear view mirrors broken off and signal light levers twisted and broken.
The second arrest was made after a citizen watched a suspect illegally enter his neighbour’s car. Police arrived at the 3100 block of Dunn Drive around 12:33 p.m. to find that the complainant had detained the intoxicated suspect, who had attempted to flee when confronted. The complainant also suffered a superficial injury to his hand after the suspect bit him.
In the first case, a 16-year-old male is charged with five counts of mischief (wilful damage), five counts of theft under $5,000 and one count of resisting arrest. He has been released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in Prince Albert Provincial Court on Oct. 17.
In the second case, another 16-year-old male has been charged with assault, mischief (wilful damage) and four counts of breach of court order. He was scheduled to appear in provincial court on Oct. 9.
