LAKELAND - A long list of items that police say were stolen have been found at a rural residence in the Lakeland area.
Two pickup trucks, one SUV, an ATV, a camper-trailer, an industrial oilfield battery, vehicle keys, a loaded .22 rifle and two 'Ninja stars' were some items Bonnyville RCMP say they seized on June 15 after using a search warrant to investigate a Goodridge-area property.
The RCMP's Lakeland Crime Reduction Unit, St. Paul RCMP Dog Services and the RCMP K Division Auto Theft Unit all converged on the residence with local RCMP members.
Trevor Mischuk, 46, from Goodridge is facing several charges in connection to the search. Mischuk was released from custody prior to his June 27 appearance in Bonnyville Provincial Court on charges of possessing stolen property over $5,000, altering vehicle identification numbers, unsafe storage of firearms, unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of stolen property under $5,000.
The Goodridge arrest was one of 176 investigations that Bonnyville RCMP took part in between June 16 and 23.
Dirt bike stolen
Video surveillance that is part of the RCMP investigation into a dirt bike theft from a Bonnyville retailer shows that suspects spent as much as 15 minutes inside a fenced compound on the 6400 block of 50th Avenue on the morning of June 19, eventually making off with a 2018 red Honda CRF 250.
Bonnyville RCMP say at 5:30 that morning, security cameras show a white Ford pickup with a flat deck drive up to the locked gate of the compound. A suspect from the truck then cuts the lock from the gate. The truck goes directly to the area where the dirt-bike was stored.
That's where police say a female got out of the truck's passenger side as a male exited from the driver's side of the truck.The two can be seen using a loading ramp to push the dirt bike up on to the flatbed. The couple then get back in the truck and it drives out of the yard, where Bonnyville RCMP Staff Sgt. Sarah Parke says the camera footage shows the suspects again exit the vehicle as they "took their time" putting ratchet straps across the bike before driving off. The video footage of the theft lasts about 15 minutes.
RCMP say there was no license plate attached to the dirt-bike at the time of theft. No serial number of the bike was made available.
Early morning vehicle thefts
Two more vehicles were reported stolen in the early hours last week. Bonnyville RCMP say a 2016 black Dodge Journey was taken from the Kehewin Recreation Centre at 5 a.m. on June 18. The Journey has Alberta license plate CBD 5716.
Sometime between midnight and 6 a.m. on June 20, Bonnyville RCMP say a grey 2003 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck was taken from outside a residence in the 4100 block of 45 Street in Bonnyville. The truck has an Alberta license plate number of 61M 788.
Break-in suspects get away
A late night patrol around the 4900 block of 51 Street by Bonnyville RCMP scared off a would-be thief, say police. On June 20 at 11:15 p.m. a member of the Bonnyville RCMP was on a proactive patrol in the area when he spotted a person allegedly cutting the fence around a business property. When the suspect saw the police he fled the scene.
Police are also continuing to look for the suspect or suspects who made multiple cuts to a perimeter fence on the night of June 19 in the 6000 block of 52 Avenue. Police say an outer fence and an inner secured area sustained damage in the attempted break-in.
On June 22, Bonnyville RCMP responded to a complaint of a break-and-enter in progress at the old Post Office building on 50th Avenue in Bonnyville. Police arrived at the vacant building, but say no suspects were located.
Bonnyville RCMP encourage anyone with information about any of these items or other police matters to contact the local detachment or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
