On January 18, 2018 around 7:20 p.m. members of the Integrated Crime Team – Break Enter and Robbery (BEAR) Unit were investigating recent snow-blower thefts when they came in contact with a 31-year old man from Greater Sudbury while on Spruce Street. The man had outstanding Arrest Warrants for Possession of Stolen Property and Theft.
When Officers approached the man he was standing beside a snow-blower. Further investigation revealed that the Husqvarna snow-blower did not belong to him and that he had stolen it earlier in the day, around 12:30 p.m. from an unlocked garage at a residence on Spruce Street. While searching the man, Officers found a health card that was stolen from a vehicle on December 13, 2017.
The 31-year old man has been charged with the following offences above and beyond the original outstanding
Arrest Warrant charges under the Criminal Code of Canada;
Break and Enter
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime x2
As a result of the investigation and the arrest of the individual, Police have also recovered a Craftsman snowblower. Greater Sudbury Police have yet to identify the owner of the second snow-blower. Anyone who has had a Craftsman snow-blower stolen from them and believes they can identify it is urged to contact Police.
Since the end of November there have been 27 incidents reported where a snow-blower has been stolen. The area with the highest number of reported incidents, being 17, were reported North of Frood Road and South of Kathleen Street. The other 10 incidents were in various parts of Greater Sudbury including outlying communities. In many of the instances, the snow-blowers have been chained or locked to a structure, however they are visible to individuals walking or driving by. In these cases the locks or chains have been cut in order to remove the snow-blowers. There have also been reports where the snow-blowers are locked inside of a shed and the lock on the shed has been pried off. We are reminding community members to make sure that valuables are not left in plain sight, to ensure all structures on their property are locked and if possible to install motion sensor lighting and/or video surveillance equipment. We also ask that if you notice a suspicious person in your neighbourhood/on your neighbour’s property to call Police immediately and provide as much information as possible about the person including a physical description of the individual, the clothing they are wearing, the direction of travel, etc.