Penticton thieves getting an early start on bike season

PENTICTON – It may not feel like spring, but Penticton thieves are getting a jump on the season as bike thefts spiked and suspects turned to two wheels for transportation last week.

Cpl. Don Wriigglesworth says three bikes were reported stolen last Tuesday, Feb. 21. The thefts occurred on Lakeshore Drive, Skaha Lake Road and on Calgary Avenue.

A 1993 blue Ford Ranger pickup, licence number LA9141, was reported stolen overnight Wednesday, Feb. 22 from an Elm Street residence by a thief who arrived at the scene on a bike. A neighbour noticed the man leave the scene in the truck with the bike stowed in the back.

On Thursday, Feb. 23, members of the RCMP Targeted Enforcement Unit spotted a man with a backpack riding a bike in the 600 block of Winnipeg Street. The man was identified as a suspect involved in a series of break-ins at a Calgary Avenue condominium complex.

The man was arrested and held for court on two counts of break and enter, two counts of theft under $5,000, two counts of possession of stolen property and two counts of possession of a controlled substance.

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