Several Penticton businesses hit by theft

PENTICTON – A sports store, a pawnbroker and a vehicle dealership were among the targets of thieves this past week in Penticton.

Overnight on Nov. 10, Penticton RCMP responded to a break and enter at True Outdoors at 290 Riverside Dr. in Penticton. A vehicle had been backed up to garage-style, glass-paned doors and smashed against the doors, breaking a padlock to gain entry, Regional Community Policing Coordinator Rick Dellebuur says. The store was ransacked and high-end clothing items, five ABS backpacks retailing at $900 apiece, and 10 other backpacks retailing at $150 each, were taken. Surveillance video indicates a man and woman were involved in the break-in, which continues to be investigated by police.

High Calibre Pawnbrokers at 536 Main St. was also broken into the same night. Police arrived on scene to find the front glass door smashed. A display containing a silver necklace valued at $5,000 was taken.

On the morning of Thursday, Nov. 12, the manager of Penticton Honda reported theft of the dealership truck used to fuel vehicles. The theft happened between 5 p.m. the previous evening and 8 a.m. that morning. The truck had no plates and was described as dark blue, 2006 F250 with a large, red fuel tank in the box and a forestry decal still visible under the paint. An employee said he thought he saw the vehicle heading south toward Osoyoos.

A series of thefts from vehicles occurred along a stretch of Main Street was also reported on the morning of Friday, Nov.13. Rocks were used to break windows of the vehicles. A suspect has been identified through video surveillance cameras in the area and police are currently looking for them.

A break-in at See Ya Later Ranch in Okanagan Falls, discovered on Saturday, Nov. 14, netted thieves three quads. Police were able to quickly track the perpetrators through GPS installed on the units, and arrested two of three suspects caught at the scene. One of those arrested was recently released from custody.

On Monday, Nov. 16,  police responded to a call of youths smashing windows on an older model Ford Mustang. They arrived within minutes, but the youths had already fled.

Also Monday night, police responded to an alarm call at the Dollar Tree store in the Walmart plaza. The front door was found open and nearby investigation turned up a suspicious individual who was arrested and charged with break and enter.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

— This story was updated at 3:02 p.m., Nov. 17, 2015 to make a minor correction.