Shelbourne corridor break and enter suspect arrested in Nanaimo

Saanich Police have made an arrest in a rash of break-and-enters in the University Heights and the Shelbourne corridor area.

Between December 2015 and March 2016, Saanich Police received 45 reports of residential break-and-enters in the Shelbourne St Corridor/University Heights.

All the reported break-ins were through patio doors. In some cases, the locking mechanisms were faulty or the patio door lock was easily defeated.

Related: Saanich Police warn after a series of break and enters near University Heights

Related: More break and enters in the Shelbourne corridor area

Saanich Police said they had a number of resources dedicated to the case.

Officers from the property crime unit were able to successfully track down some of the stolen property and the owners were able to successfully identify their property.

As the investigation continued, officers were able to successfully identify the suspect.

Saanich Police determined the suspect was in Nanaimo and with the assistance of the Nanaimo RCMP,  police arrested Lance Wilbert Henry.

Henry appeared before the courts, via telebail, and has been remanded in custody until his next hearing on April 14, 2016. He has been charged with two counts of break and enter and two counts of possession of stolen property.

“Mr. Henry is a Federal Parolee from the Lower Mainland who appears to have spent a large portion of his life in prison. When Mr. Henry is out of jail he seems to support himself through criminal activity.”  A/Sgt. Jereme Leslie said in a statement.

A search of court records shows Henry has been found guilty of several similar charges dating back to 1997 with the most recent charge dated August 2014 for theft $5000 or under.

“Our Officers are still combing over the significant amount of information and evidence they’ve collected and we’re expecting a number of more charges to be forwarded to Crown Counsel.”

Saanich Police are crediting media outlets, citing without the increased awareness there could have been a number of more B&E’s.