43 Charges Laid in Wallaceburg Truck Theft Investigation

This morning at a press conference in Wallaceburg, Chatham-Kent Police Chief Gary Conn addressed the media and local citizens.

Chief Conn stated,

“Earlier this year, the Chatham-Kent Police Service began seeing an increase in vehicle thefts from the Wallaceburg area. It quickly became apparent that Chev and GMC trucks were being targeted.

As each truck was stolen, our concern for public safety escalated. As normal, front line officers submitted detailed reports regarding each theft and canvassed the area for potential witnesses. Our Crime Analyst diligently compiled the information about each stolen truck and this information was shared with neighbouring agencies in an effort to find a link or identify possible suspects.

Between August and November, 18 trucks were stolen. 17 of them were recovered in various areas in and outside of Chatham-Kent. There were also 7 attempt theft of trucks.

As each truck was recovered, officers examined them for forensic evidence in an attempt to retrieve any information that would lead to identifying those responsible.

On November 3, 2015 around 12:25 a.m. an officer on general patrol observed two suspicious men in a Chev Silverado pick-up truck on Old Glass Road in Wallaceburg. As the officer stopped behind the truck, the driver reversed right into the hood of the marked police cruiser and both fled on foot. The officer was not injured, however the cruiser sustained about $4000 damage. A couple hours later around 3:35 a.m. the same officer observed a stolen GMC Sierra truck travelling eastbound on Dufferin Avenue.

The truck was previously reported stolen earlier in the night from a residence on Gordon Street. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, however the driver fled and failed to stop. The driver reached speeds of over double the legal limit while disobeying traffic signals.

On Baseline Road near Brick Road, police deployed a tire deflation device which was successful in slowly deflating the tires of the stolen truck. The driver continued to operate the truck on the rims until finally being brought to a stop by two police cruisers. The driver and his passenger immediately exited the truck and fled on foot. The driver was arrested by officers following a short foot chase. The passenger was taken into custody by K9 Arry.

The driver, an 18-year-old Munsee-Delaware First Nation man was charged with theft over $5000, possession of property obtained by a crime over $5000, flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and failing to comply.

The passenger, a 16-year-old Chippewas of the Thames First Nation youth was charged with theft over $5000, possession of property obtained by a crime over $5000 and two counts of failing to comply.

Our work on this day was not done though. It was important for us as a Police Service, committed to serving and protecting the residents of Wallaceburg and everyone here in our community, to continue this investigation, to ascertain if there were any links or evidence to suggest that these two individuals were responsible for previous thefts.

Through investigation, the Chatham-Kent Police Service Intelligence Unit and Middlesex OPP Street Crimes Unit identified the Munsee-Delaware First Nation man and Chippewas of the Thames First Nation youth as being responsible for numerous thefts, attempts and other criminal offences here in Chatham-Kent.

As a result, the 18-year-old man has been additionally charged 20 offences and the young offender has been charged with additional 14 offences. The offences include:

Theft of a Motor Vehicle

Possession of Property Obtained by a Crime Over $5000

Possession of Property Obtained by a Crime Under $5000

Attempt Theft of Motor Vehicle

Failing to Comply

Flight from Police

Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle

Drive While Disqualified

Break and Enter

Theft Under $5000

In total, both accused are facing 43 criminal code charges.

Both remain in custody pending a bail hearing. They are scheduled to make a court appearance tomorrow morning by video remand.

Finally, I just wanted to say that I am extremely proud of all the officers and civilian support staff who worked collaboratively to ensure a successful conclusion in respect to the arrest and charges of these two individuals. As one can appreciate, a lot of work goes into projects of this magnitude and once again congratulations to all involved.”

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