A man believed to be behind a rash of vehicle thefts across rural southern Alberta has been arrested following an RCMP bait truck sting operation.
On June 16, a stolen RCMP bait truck equipped with GPS tracking led officers to a suspect in Strathmore, where he fled on foot before being arrested by the Southern Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit (SAD CRU). The sting followed a two-month investigation into a series of vehicle thefts concentrated east of Calgary.
Between April 20 and June 15, RCMP recorded 17 thefts believed to be connected to the same suspect. SAD CRU launched its investigation on May 21 and worked in coordination with officers from Airdrie, Strathmore, Gleichen, Vulcan and High River. The bait truck was deployed in Wheatland County and stolen on June 16, triggering a rapid police response.
Charlie Wolfear, 25, of Siksika First Nation, was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit. He now faces a long list of charges from multiple RCMP detachments.
Strathmore RCMP and SAD CRU have jointly charged Wolfear with:
-
Theft of motor vehicle (x2)
-
Resist arrest
-
Fail to comply with release order (x2)
-
Possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine)
-
Drive uninsured motor vehicle (x3)
-
Possession of stolen property over $5,000 (x2)
-
Possession of stolen property under $5,000
-
Theft of debit card (x2)
Gleichen RCMP laid additional charges, including:
-
Mischief over $5,000
-
Taking motor vehicle without consent
-
Drive uninsured motor vehicle
-
Possession of stolen property over $5,000
-
Possession of a prohibited weapon
-
Possession of a firearm with a tampered serial number
Wolfear is also facing a separate charge from Airdrie RCMP for theft of a motor vehicle.
He was remanded into custody following a judicial interim release hearing and is next scheduled to appear in Alberta Court of Justice on July 3.