21542 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Police blitz nets eight shoplifting suspects, $11,000 in stolen goods

 

Officers targeted shoplifters for a total of 13 hours from Jan. 17 to Jan. 20 at a busy downtown store. All eight arrests were for theft under $5,000, with the value of items found on individuals ranging from $477 to $3,200.

 

https://www.timescol...tm_campaign=snd

 

 

 

So I presume this was done at The Bay.   That's quite a thing.  What kind of items can you discreetly scoop up with that much value?  Cosmetics/fragrances?  Jewellery?  Winter jackets?  Handbags?  Shoes/boots?

 

These 8 were really going for gold.  Not your average shoplifter with those values.

 

The Bay already has a team of loss-prevention officers.  I presume they wanted to get some big fishes here.  With charges and hopefully convictions.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 26 January 2023 - 02:08 AM.

[pontcanna]

Suspect Arrested In Arson To Residence Investigation

 

Date: Thursday, January 26, 2023 - File: #22-2419

 

Victoria, BC –  A suspect has been arrested as VicPD Major Crime Unit (MCU) detectives continue to investigate an arson to a residence last week.

 

At approximately 2:45 p.m. on Friday, January 20, officers were notified by Victoria Fire Department firefighters that they were at the scene of a suspicious house fire in the 1900-block of Richardson Street. The home was fully engulfed in flames when officers arrived. Despite the best efforts of the Victoria Fire Department, the home was extensively damaged. Luckily, no one was home at the time of the fire. The fire is being investigated as an arson.

 

VicPD officers then received a call from officers with the Oak Bay Police Department, who reported that the suspect had attended their offices. VicPD officers arrived, arrested the suspect and transported them to VicPD cells. The suspect was then transported to hospital for a mental health assessment. The suspect was held in custody pending court.

 

This file remains under investigation. If you have surveillance footage from the area in the 1900-block of Richardson Street from the afternoon of Friday, January 20, or information about this incident and have yet to speak with officers, please call the VicPD Report Desk at (250) 995-7654.

 

[pontcanna]

Stolen bikes returned to owners

West Shore

2023-01-26 - File #2023-413

On January 7th 2023, the West Shore RCMP received a report from two young boys ages 12 and 13 who advised their bicycles had been stolen while parked outside of WestShore Town Centre mall located at 2945 Jacklin Rd in Langford. The boys sought out mall security right away and called police on their own to report the crime.

West Shore Mall security provided video surveillance that captured the theft of the bikes by a male and female suspect. West Shore RCMP officers identified and located the suspects who were both arrested for theft under $5000. Officers attended the home of the male suspect identified as a 29-year-old resident of East Sooke, and located one of the stolen bikes on the property, while the other stolen bike was located nearby. The female suspect is also a 29-year-old resident of East Sooke.

 

We are happy to report that both bikes were recovered by police and returned to their rightful owners. The suspects were arrested and released on Undertakings with conditions to not attend the West Shore Town Centre and must attend court in March 2023, said Cpl. Nancy Saggar.

I’m just so proud of our boys for going straight to mall security to report their bikes stolen and then calling the police and making the report on their own. It was a very upsetting situation for them both and they handled it very maturely. Mall Security and Westshore RCMP were both amazing and worked hard to locate and get our boys bikes back. said Candace Neuhaus, mother of 12-year old Jackson Neuhaus.

I am so grateful to the Westshore mall security for working hard to get the footage in line for [police to] review. I couldn’t be prouder of our boys for acting right away, and seeking out help from security as well as making the phone call to the RCMP. I am grateful to the Westshore RCMP for getting the bikes safely back to our boys in such a timely manner. The outcome couldn’t have been any better for our boys, said Lynai Quatell, mother of 13-year-old Josiah Quatell.

Released by

Cpl. Nancy Saggar
Media Relations Officer
West Shore RCMP

[pontcanna]

BREAK AND ENTER

Cedar residents fight off intruder during break-ins, neighbours use garden tools to contain suspect

Jan 26, 2023 

NANAIMO — Cedar turned out to be inhospitable territory for a man accused of a pair of derailed break-ins.

Mounties were called to a pair of Cedar area properties on Wednesday, Jan. 25 in response to a male suspect Nanaimo RCMP say invaded a pair of homes.

RCMP Res. Cst. Gary O’Brien said it started at about 3:30 p.m. in the Yellow Point area where a homeowner came face-to-face with an intruder.

A fight ensued where the assailant sustained a head injury, resulting in significant blood loss, O’Brien said. The wounded assailant was able to run off.

“About two-and-a-half hours later we get a report from the 1700 block of Woobank Rd. that a suspect was seen trying to break into another home. In this particular case the neighbours came together and they held him at bay with garden tools until such time that our guys got there and arrested him.”

The suspect was transported to Nanaimo hospital for treatment, then transferred to Nanaimo RCMP cells where he remains.

Several outstanding arrest warrants related to allegations in the Cowichan Valley were in effect against the man, O’Brien noted.

More: https://nanaimonewsn...ontain-suspect/

 

[pontcanna]

Saanich massage therapist gets 25-year suspension for secretly filming patients

 

A Saanich massage therapist has been stripped of his license to practice for at least 25 years after he filmed patients taking off their clothes without their consent, the College of Massage Therapists of B.C. (CMTBC) says.

 

 

A disciplinary order posted on Jan. 11 states Gilles-Philippe Lavoie was working at a clinic and “secretly video recorded a female patient while she disrobed at the beginning of her massage therapy appointment with him.”

But it turns out the RMT filmed three other women, including one who was also a patient, according to the CMTBC. The incidents against the four women happened sometime between March 20 and Aug. 10, 2020.

A complaint was then made to the college, which says Lavoie positioned his cell phone in the treatment room with the camera facing the area he anticipated the patient would disrobe. He then hit record and exited the room.  

In June 2021, Lavoie was convicted in provincial court on a charge of secretly observing or recording nudity in a private place, contrary to the Criminal Code. He was handed a six-month conditional sentence and 18 months of probation after pleading guilty and admitting to professional misconduct.

Marion Brulot, Lavoie’s former partner, came forward as one of the women victimized. “I’m a survivor of years of sexual abuse and sexual assault and I told him ‘no’ and he did it anyways, and he is walking out of court with probation,” Brulot told CHEK News outside the courthouse in 2021.

It (was) also noted Lavoie “will not have an automatic right to registration and will be required to meet all legislative and bylaw requirements relating to registration, including those relating to good character, in effect at that time.”

 

More: https://www.cheknews...tients-1138225/

 

 

[pontcanna]

Friends of Nanaimo fatal stabbing victim

 

CHEK has interviews tonight with friends of "Sasha", the Nanaimo mall stabbing victim. The incident was described as a low-level drug deal gone bad in the parking lot. Victim was stabbed with a pair of scissors and staggered inside looking for help. The street people interviewed remembered him as a friend who was (like always) "doing better" recently. No charges yet against the unnamed assailant.

 

I imagine a proper story will be uploaded later to the CHEK website.

 

 

Video: https://www.cheknews...ing-in-Nanaimo/

 

Edited to add:

 

‘I miss him, I love him’: Friends grieve victim of fatal stabbing in Nanaimo

Jan. 27, 2023 - CHEK

Tony Shirley was overcome with grief when talking about his friend Sasha, who died in a fatal stabbing at Nanaimo’s Port Place Mall on Sunday night.

A small dispute over drugs escalated quickly into a tragedy, according to Shirley. Sasha was stabbed repeatedly with scissors and dragged himself into the mall trying to get help.

“It started out as a simple argument. This guy couldn’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag with a pair of scissors in his hand,” Shirley, who lives unhoused on Nanaimo’s streets, said Thursday.

“He’s a childhood friend. So I miss him, I love him,” said Teagun Pywell, who has known Sasha since they were boys growing up in Duncan.

“And every time we see each other, it was ‘Bro, it’s good to see you again,’ you know,” said Pywell, who lives unhoused in Nanaimo.

“He cleaned up, he got better. I saw him three or four months ago and he was still 10 months clean. Actually, he took his one-year cake, so he was doing very, very well and he was so happy,” said Pywell.

Doug Hiltz delivers meals to Nanaimo’s homeless nightly and said the fatal stabbing shows how dangerous the streets have become.

RCMP took a suspect into custody on Sunday night following the stabbing, but as of late Thursday, no charges had been laid. 

 

More: https://www.cheknews...anaimo-1138250/

 

 

Edited by pontcanna, 27 January 2023 - 08:45 AM.

[pontcanna]

viccrimestop

@cspolice are asking for help in identifying this "Dear Suspect"

He is responsible for a series of thefts at one of the farm stands in Central Saanich. The value of berries stolen amounts to over $200.

The owners put up a camera and have captured his image now placing him in a "jam" as he can now be identified.

Our rural communities rely on honesty when they set up the well-loved farm stands, so please help restore their faith in the public by telling us who he is.

Call 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip online at www.victoriacrimestoppers.ca

Your tip if successful could earn you a cash reward.

F/N #22-2378

 

[pontcanna]

Nanaimo RCMP investigate knifepoint robbery at grocery

 

The clerk at Superette Foods on Albert Street told police that a man wearing a mask entered the store with a knife in his hand and demanded money.


Suspect in knifepoint robbery Thursday in Nanaimo. 

Nanaimo RCMP are searching for a suspect after a store clerk was robbed at knifepoint about 5:40 p.m. Thursday.

The clerk at Superette Foods on Albert Street told police that a man wearing a mask entered the store with a knife in his hand and demanded money.

They said the man fled on foot, and was last seen running in the direction of Nicol St.

An image from store video has been released. The suspect is described as white and in his mid-30s, and about five-foot-10 and 175 pounds. He had heavy stubble and was wearing a dark hoodie and gloves.

More: https://www.timescol...grocery-6448730

[pontcanna]

 

viccrimestop

 

He is responsible for a series of thefts at one of the farm stands in Central Saanich. The value of berries stolen amounts to over $200.

 

 

@cspoliceservice

Thank you to everyone who submitted tips for the suspect in the thefts of hundreds of dollars in product from a small farm stand in #csaan. Ultimately, the suspect called and turned themselves in. Thank you to our partners @VicCrimeStop for their assistance. ^jh 

 

#22-2378

[Nparker]

...the suspect called and turned themselves in...

themselves - why plural?

[pontcanna]

Have You Seen Wanted Man William Watts? 

 

Date: January 30, 2023 - File: #22-41776

 

Victoria, BC – Officers are asking for your help as we assist in the search for wanted man William Watts.

 

William Watts is currently wanted BC-wide for a breach of his release order. William Watts is 49 and described as an Indigenous man standing five feet, ten inches tall with a muscular build weighing approximately 200 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. A wanted poster of William Watts is below.

 

 

William Watts has numerous robbery convictions and is considered to be at high-risk to reoffend.

 

If you see William Watts, do not approach him and call 911.

 

If you have information about William Watts’ whereabouts please call the VicPD Report Desk at (250) 995-7654 extension 1. To report what you know anonymously, please call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

 

 

[pontcanna]

Comox man who broke into former partner's home and assaulted her to serve full sentence

Jan. 31, 2023 

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has dismissed a man's appeal for a shorter sentence after he was convicted of breaking into a former partner's home and seriously assaulting her in early 2020.

On Dec. 28, 2019, Clinton Armstrong was arrested for slapping his common law spouse and pushing her in Comox, B.C.

After being arrested on Dec. 28, he was released on conditions intended to protect the victim.

However, while still under those conditions, Armstrong returned to the victim's home armed with a "boxcutter-type tool," broke a window and entered on Feb. 10, 2020.

He then attacked the victim, leaving her with more than a dozen injuries on her face and neck, as will as a dozen similar injuries on her torso.

She also suffered defensive wounds on her arms and hands, resulting in stitches to her right thumb and a 16-centimetre scar that is visible on her face, appeal judge Ronald Skolrood noted in his decision to dismiss Armstrong's appeal on Jan. 12.

The court heard that Armstrong had told the victim that he was going to kill her before she was able to escape to a neighbour's home.

Armstrong briefly chased her before returning to the victim's home and vandalizing her house and car, causing significant damage before he was arrested by police.

At a hearing in November 2021, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for the aggravated assault and eight years in prison for the break-in, to be served concurrently.

 

More: https://vancouverisl...ppeal-1.6253701

 

[pontcanna]

 

cspolice 

 

*SCAM ALERT* CSPS has received multiple reports of the "Grandparent scam" this morning. Community members have received phone calls from someone pretending to be a grandchild, claiming to be in jail and demanding $10,000.00 in bail money. 

 

If you receive a call like this, DON’T send money or give the caller any further personal information. Hang up and call your grandchild, or another family member, to find out what’s really going on. Then report the scam to Central Saanich Police Service.

 

 

[pontcanna]

[pontcanna]

(Sooke) man facing extradition to U.S. for alleged sex crimes against stepdaughter

Jan. 31, 2023 

A Vancouver Island man is awaiting possible extradition to the United States on charges of sexual assault against his 13-year-old stepdaughter.

A B.C. Supreme Court ordered the man into custody last week pending a decision by the federal justice minister on whether or not to surrender the accused to authorities south of the border.

The accused, who is identified in court documents as J.L., is sought by U.S. federal authorities on behalf of the state of Utah.

According to the judge's decision published Tuesday, J.L. is accused of sexually assaulting his stepdaughter continuously from June 2012 to June 2014.

The offences are alleged to have occurred in St. George, Utah, where J.L. lived with his stepdaughter and her mother, to whom he was married at the time.

According to court documents, the stepdaughter told her mother about the alleged abuse in June 2014, but the allegations were not reported to police until that November.

J.L. left Utah that same month and U.S. authorities charge that he "fled" to Canada, while J.L. told the court that he was planning to move back to Canada as his marriage had ended.

"He says his return to Canada had nothing to do with the fact that the complainant spoke to the police that same day," B.C. Supreme Court Justice Brian D. MacKenzie said.

J.L. was charged in June 2015, prompting Utah police to issue a warrant for his arrest.

During a 2021 extradition hearing, J.L. testified that he left Canada in May 2015, travelling and working in several countries before returning to Canada in October 2019.

He testified that upon his return he obtained a B.C. driver's licence under the Sooke, B.C., address where the RCMP later found and arrested him on June 16, 2020.

The judge ordered J.L. into custody to await an extradition decision by Justice Minister David Lametti.
 

More: https://vancouverisl...ghter-1.6254237

 

[Victoria Watcher]

Oak Bay police are looking for a woman who tucked several pairs of Maui Jim sunglasses valued at an estimated $2,000 up her sleeve before leaving a store in the 2000-block of Cadboro Bay Road.

 

 

https://www.timescol...oak-bay-6466890

 

 

 

More sunglasses thefts again in Oak Bay.

[pontcanna]

Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers

Hey Greater Victoria

Saanich Police are hoping you can help identify these suspects who are suspects in a theft at a store in the 3900 block of Quadra Street.

If you recognize them and you want to tell us either of their names anonymously, please call 1-800-222-8477 or visit www.victoriacrimestoppers.ca

SA #23-311

 

[Victoria Watcher]

Woman, 39, victim of apparent homicide on Quadra Island

Quadra Island RCMP found the woman’s body Jan. 16 during a wellness check.

 

https://www.timescol...-island-6472090

[Victoria Watcher]

 

Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers

Hey Greater Victoria

Saanich Police are hoping you can help identify these suspects who are suspects in a theft at a store in the 3900 block of Quadra Street.

If you recognize them and you want to tell us either of their names anonymously, please call 1-800-222-8477 or visit www.victoriacrimestoppers.ca

SA #23-311

 

 

 

It's a pretty glaring difference.

 

The largest GV municipality (SPD) has the resources to run public alerts on shoplifting, the CoV (VicPD) never does the same for similar offences.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 01 February 2023 - 02:08 PM.

[Mike K.]

Note how to-the-point the release was, though. Normally it tries to be comical.