Car thief nabbed in Armstrong after suspicious vehicle report

A member of the public called 9-1-1 after noticing a man slumped over the steering wheel of a vehicle in a Vernon parking lot. Police realized the vehicle was reported stolen, but when officers arrived shortly after, the man had woken up and driven away.

The vehicle, which was reported stolen from a residence in Armstrong on Jan. 19, was first spotted in the parking lot of a business in the 5600-block of Anderson Way, according to an RCMP press release. The 9-1-1 call in around 12:55 p.m. on Jan. 21. RCMP do not identify the business.

Not long after – at approximately 1:15 p.m. – the stolen vehicle was located by a front-line officer on a dead-end street off Patterson Avenue. The driver was arrested without incident upon exiting the vehicle.

READ MORE: 'Unlocked and idling': Vernon RCMP use GPS to track stolen truck

The suspect was found to be in possession of a knife, drug paraphernalia and what is believed to be drugs. Police also learned that he was not allowed in a driver’s seat of a vehicle without the owner present, by court order.

Dustin Sager, 30, was charged with one count of possession of stolen property and four counts of failing to comply with a release order. His bail hearing was held over the phone and he has been remanded into custody until his next court date on Jan. 31.

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