An early morning break-in at a local business on Family Day resulted in the theft of nine handguns, and RCMP are asking anyone who may have information about the incident to contact the local detachment.
“Shortly after 4 a.m. on (Feb. 17), RCMP was dispatched to an alarm call at Warehouse Sports in St. Paul. Upon arrival, it was determined that a vehicle backed into the building and entry was gained to the business," according to a press release received from St. Paul RCMP.
Warehouse Sports owner Darryl Lotoski said the support received by the community to help clean up after the break-in was “much appreciated." He was thankful for over a dozen friends who “took time out of their Family Day to come and help."
Lotoski says his business will be closed while cleanup takes place, along with insurance procedures happening. He added that the break-in was a violation of his personal business.
“The stuff I want to say (about the perpetrators), I can't say," said Lotoski, who was also apologetic to his customers, saying he would have liked to reopen his doors sooner.
“It's just beyond my control."
Investigation into the break-in found that nine handguns had been taken from a display case in the store. One witness reported seeing a silver truck leave the scene of the crime. RCMP recovered the reported vehicle in the following hours.
Later in the week, RCMP said it was continuing to look into all information and leads received, but no further details had been released. Lotoski has also offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Bonnyville RCMP is investigating a similar break-in following an incident on Feb. 23 at Sylvestre Source for Sports. At about 3 a.m., two unknown male suspects used a stolen truck to ram through the front doors of the business, according to a press release from Bonnyville RCMP.
About 10 to 15 long barreled riffles were stolen from the store. The truck used for the break-in was described as a dark coloured full sized SUV, and was located south of Bonnyville a short time later.
“It is possible that the suspects transferred the stolen firearms to another vehicle before leaving that scene," says the release. RCMP forensic personnel have been brought in and are examining all leads.
Anyone with information about the Bonnyville incident can contact (780) 343-7200. St. Paul RCMP can be contacted at (780) 645-8870, or Crime Stoppers to remain anonymous at 1-800-222-8477.
