Shoplifting meat earns man a court date

VERNON – A man on the run with over $100 worth of stolen meat has landed himself a court appearance.

Around 4:25 p.m. January 4, the loss prevention officer at the Safeway on 30 Avenue arrested a 36-year-old man with no fixed address for shoplifting meat valued at about $80. The officer notified police and led the suspect to his office.

RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the suspect fled when he realized he was under arrest for theft.

The man ran from Safeway over to Nature’s Fare, where he stole a further $43 worth of meat.

The loss prevention officer chased him down, and was able to detain him and bring him back to the Safeway office. All items were recovered.

During the incident, the suspect allegedly punched the loss prevention officer in the chest.

The man is now facing charges of theft, assault and failure to comply with a previous sentence order received in December. He's schedule to appear in court January 6. 

Molendyk says it’s not the first time he’s seen a thief specifically target meat.

“It’s … an item that is targeted at all the major grocery stores because they can flip it over quickly for cash,” he says.

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