Cops may have lead on commercial break and enters

VERNON – The rash of break and enters plaguing Vernon businesses appears to have come to a halt, and the RCMP have a hunch as to why.

Following the arrest last Wednesday of Matthew Barber, 31, who was wanted on a province-wide warrant for break and enter, mischief and breach of probation, police haven’t been called to any commercial break and enters. It may be coincidence, or the cops may have their man.

“(One or two) individuals can create our statistics to go up or down,” RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. “It would appear that since the arrest of the latest individual Mr. Barber… it seems we’ve seen a decline in some of the activity.”

The RCMP is continuing to investigate whether Barber is connected to the break and enters.

He was discovered by chance last week as police were investigating a reported television theft.

“One of our members saw a foot sticking out from under a bed, checked and there he was. We’ve been looking for him between here and the Lower Mainland,” Molendyk says.

Barber is in custody and awaiting his time in court.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca, call (250)309-5230 or tweet @charhelston.