Just hours after Nanaimo RCMP posted a picture of a suspected thief on Tuesday, police were tipped off to the suspect’s location and arrested him.
A 48-year-old Nanaimo resident was located in downtown Nanaimo, and was arrested for posession of stolen property, theft, and fradulent use of credit cards.
He was released on a promise to appear and has a court date set for May 7th, 2019.
“A number of tips were provided by the public via social media, phone calls, and other means, which ultimately lead to the arrest of the person allegedly responsible for these crimes,” said Cst. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
“The investigators have asked that we let the public know they are extremely grateful for all their assistance.”
Earlier:
Nanaimo RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a man who is suspected of stealing a woman’s purse and fraudulently using the credit cards inside it last week.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, March 5th, at approximately 11 a.m., when a woman was walking through the parking lot at Costco. The suspect then passed by the woman, grabbed her purse and fled on foot.
Police arrived shortly after the theft and tried to locate the man, but were unable to find him.
Inside the stolen purse were several personal items, including a wallet that contained multiple credit cards.
Before the cards could be cancelled, police say that they were used at two locations on Turner Road in Nanaimo: Quality Foods and the North Ridge General Store.
Surveillance footage from the Quality Foods shows the suspect leaving the grocery store, and matches the description of the man who stole the purse.
The suspect is described as Caucasian male standing approximately 6’ tall with a thin build. He has a scruffy salt and pepper beard and was wearing a dark coloured windbreaker and blue jeans at the time.
Anyone with information about the suspect or the incident is asked to contact Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or report what they know anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477
