It was an unsettling morning for employees at the Esso Gas Station in the west end of Bonnyville.
On May 12, employees arrived at work to find that the store had broken into and ransacked by a thief.
“When the (workers) came in it was all dark. There should have been a light on. The guy was able to turn off the main electrical switch at the back and shut the power off to the building,” explained Abigail Carampil, an Esso cashier.
An Esso employee called the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment just before 5 a.m. that morning. Not long after, the owner notified police that he was on scene and had seen a male leaving the area. Cst. Burgess with the Bonnyville RCMP arrived at the Esso shortly after 5 a.m. and began his investigation.
The investigation found that a large safe was stolen, along with a laptop, lottery tickets, cigarettes and a large sum of cash. Access to the building was gained through a side window that had been smashed out.
“(The thief) couldn't find the right key so he broke into the drawers. He opened all of the cabinets but he only took the Canadian (brand) cigarettes,” said Carampil.
Cst. Burgess and the Esso owner proceeded on a foot patrol, it was then the owner identified a man he believed to be the thief.
“While they were doing their foot patrols, the owner pointed out a male and said ‘that was the suspect leaving the store,'” said Cst. Laura Carroll. “When Cst. Burgess went over to speak to the male, he was not cooperative and through Cst. Burgess' dealing with him it was revealed that he not only had weapons but had belonging of the owner and items from the store.”
The 23 year old man from Lloydminster was found carrying a long knife up his sleeve, a second knife and a retractable baton in his back pocket. The Cst. also found the man was in possession of numerous credit cards belonging to the Esso owner and several sets of keys.
Some of the store items, along with the stolen safe, were found behind a large dumpster during the foot patrol.
Following his arrest, the man was transported to the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment where a thorough search of him revealed $2455 hidden in his clothing. The man was denied bail to ensure his appearance in court and the safety of the public.
“The male does not have a criminal record, however, he was charged on May 10 in St. Paul for theft,” said Carroll.
The Lloydminster man is facing charges of break and enter committing theft, mischief, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a prohibited weapon, obstructing a peace officer and possession of stolen property. He will be in Bonnyville court on May 19.
