Suspected poppy donation box thief arrested in Kelowna, facing charges

A man in Kelowna is facing charges after police allege he stole poppy donation boxes.

Kelowna RCMP responded to two calls in two days after the poppy thief struck two banks on Ellis Street, according to a Kelowna RCMP news release.

“Businesses should not need to take extra precautions in securing poppy donation boxes to prevent them from being stolen; however, the boxes have become a target for thieves over recent years,” Cpl. Tammy Lobb, Kelowna RCMP spokesperson, said in the release.

The first theft took place on Nov. 8 when a suspect entered an Ellis Street bank and left with a donation box that sat on a counter.

Police responded to a second theft on Nov. 9, which was at a different bank on the same street. According to RCMP, the same suspect entered and asked for direction, then he grabbed the donation box and ran out the door with it.

This time the suspect was arrested and the 24-year-old man is facing two charges of theft under $5,000.

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