Arrests made in strings of break-ins, some going back more than 2 years

Recent arrests of suspects believed to be involved in a rash of break-ins and thefts highlight the efforts Winnipeg police are making to solve property crimes in the city, a police spokesperson said Wednesday.

Police announced arrests in two separate strings of thefts that resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars of stolen property, cash and damage.

In one case, police arrested a man with a long history of thefts and charged him in a string of "sophisticated" thefts going back to January 2017.

Guy was brain-dead. There were only four ATM slips in there.- Brian Tetreault, owner of T and T Soil

Among the businesses targeted were two legions — the Army Navy and Airforce Club on Wilton Street and the Royal Canadian Legion on Osborne Street — and T and T Soils on  Lagimodière Blvd.

A 42-year-old man from Arnes, Man., has been charged with 15 break-and-enter offences, that resulted in the theft of $100,000 cash and $100,000 in damage.

"This individual ran a fairly sophisticated operation," police spokesperson Const. Rob Carver said Wednesday. "This individual, the suspect here, cased the businesses, planned on how to do the break-ins, planned on them in advance."

"He cased us out," T and T Soil owner Brian Tetreault tolds CBC News. "He tried to cut straight through the wall and into our safe."

Police had the suspect under surveillance while he was attempting to cut through the exterior of the T and T building and arrested him.

Tetreault says the burglar would have been disappointed had he got through the walls and into the safe — any cash in it had been removed.

"Guy was brain-dead. There were only four ATM slips in there," Tetreault said.

The suspect targeted businesses that typically keep more cash on-site than other businesses, said Carver.

The thief also left a mess in his wake. Police say he cause approximately $100,000 in damage to businesses during the 18–month spree.

The damage included going through brick walls, on two separate occasions, at the Anavets Club on Wilton Street, once in February 207 and again in March this year.

"It had to be a sledge hammer. I mean, it's a brick wall. That's twice they came through the walls, though. The first time it was through a different wall, but it's all walls. He was able to avoid setting off our motion sensors," club manager Edna McFee said.

McFee says the club was covered for the damage and the loss, but says it stings to think someone would target a place built to honour veterans.

"Obviously he has no respect for the veterans and what our organization stands for," McFee told CBC News. "He really doesn't care. I think the money is more important to him than what we do." 

McFee says the Royal Canadian Legion on Osborne Street was hit in a similar fashion.

A  man, 56, was also arrested and charged with two counts of breaking and entering to commit an offence.

Specialized property crime unit

In another case, police arrested a 29-year-old man after he was found in a stolen truck parked on Lansdowne Avenue on June 12.

The man has been linked to several other crimes, including the theft of $4,400 worth of sterling silver stolen from a business specializing in precious metals on Wall Street.

The suspect was also linked to two vehicle break-ins on St. James Street on June 9, a break-in at a home on Craig Street on June 10 and a vehicle break-in on Wellington Avenue.

Police haven't released the suspect's name because they are still investigating and expect to link him to more break-ins, Carver says.

"The individual we arrested indicated that he was supporting a methamphetamine habit, so we know from statements that meth was an underlying factor in that series of crimes," Carver said.

The suspect faces 14 charges of break-and-enter to commit theft and three charges of theft under $5,000. He remains in custody.

A specialized section of the major crimes unit dedicated to investigating property crimes handled the investigation into the thefts,  Carver says.

"We're certainly seeing an increase in property crimes in the city. These detectives will specialize in that type of crime," he said.