A tip from the public helped RCMP locate and arrest a suspect in connection with a stolen vehicle and a string of property crimes in east-central Alberta.
Coronation RCMP responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked at the Castor Fish Pond on June 16. Officers located the vehicle and identified the driver, who fled the area by driving through private properties, causing damage to the Town of Castor’s water treatment plant.
Further investigation — including a review of surveillance footage — revealed that the same suspect was also responsible for a break and enter at a County of Paintearth shop on June 9.
The vehicle was later recovered on a rural property south of Castor after RCMP received a tip from the public.
Two days later, on June 18, RCMP received reports that the suspect had returned to Castor. Officers located him, and after he attempted to flee on foot, he was arrested with the assistance of Alberta RCMP Police Dog Services. The man was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Christopher McLean, 25, of Hanna, Alta., has been charged with 13 offences, including:
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Two counts of mischief
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Break and enter
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Possession of a stolen vehicle
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Failing to stop
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Two counts of failing to comply with a probation order
McLean has been remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear in Coronation provincial court on June 20.
“We would like to thank the public for their assistance in this investigation,” said Sgt. Jeremy Houle of the Coronation RCMP. “It is thanks to initial reports as well as tips from the public that we were able to locate the stolen vehicle as well as McLean’s whereabouts.”