Three men have been taken into custody and are facing a total of 10 charges in relation to stolen vehicles, thanks to the collaborative work of several teams of the Mission RCMP.
On Nov. 21, police responded to a report of two suspicious vehicles parked in front of a residence on Kudo Drive in Mission.
Police attended the area and located a male who matched the description of a suspect seen early exiting one of the vehicles. The man, Chase Goldney, ran from police and was later located in a nearby residence with the assistance of the LMD Police Dog Services.
Goldney was taken into police custody and charged with two charges in relation to the stolen vehicles. The two vehicles recovered were stolen earlier that day from an address on Columbia Street and from the Mission Walmart.
Four days later, Nov. 25, Mission RCMP’s Prolific Offender Suppression Team conducted a traffic stop with a pickup truck after the driver was exhibiting suspicious behaviour. The truck was identified and confirmed as being stolen out of 100 Mile House.
The driver, Leslie Cole was taken into police custody and is now facing three charges in relation to the stolen vehicle.
The following day, Nov. 26, police were advised of a suspicious Ford F350 parked at the end of cul-de-sac near Dewdney Trunk Road and Ferndale Road.
Police had receive a report earlier that afternoon that a pickup matching that description was stolen outside a home on Best Avenue, while the owners were partaking in the Grey Cup celebrations.
Prior to police attendance the male fled the truck, taking haven in nearby bushes. With the assistance of a witness and LMD Police Dog Services, the male was located and taken into custody.
Barrie Maclean, has received five charges in relation to the stolen vehicle.
“As a policing detachment we are pleased to be able to report that the number of stolen vehicles over the past three years has been on a steady decline,” said Mission RCMP Const. James Mason.
“These numbers are attributed to the great work of our detachment; as well as, the vehicle owners who are taking the appropriate steps to protect their vehicles such as locking them, parking in the garage and installing protective equipment. We continue to encourage vehicle owners to be diligent in taking the steps necessary to remove the temptation from those who would otherwise choose to commit auto theft.”
From September 2015 to September 2017, there was an 18 per cent drop in reported auto thefts; while theft from auto for those same dates saw a 24 per cent drop in reported occurrences.
“With the winter holidays fast approaching, consumers are reminded to take actions to secure their shopping items while storing them in their vehicles… don’t let your gifts fall victim to the Grinch,” said Mason.