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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A store owner says he won't be pursuing charges against three suspects who stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise after the items were returned the next day.

Thousands of dollars of merchandise stolen from Sunlines Convenience Store at 4310 50 Ave. was returned the next morning after store owner Thanh Huynh contacted a relative of one of the suspects. - Galit Rodan/NNSL photo

The stolen items included three fur hats, three seal skin pelts and one seal skin coat. Everything was returned the next morning around 11:45 a.m., said store owner Thanh Huynh.

Police said two women and one man entered Sunlines Convenience Store around 6 p.m. Thursday. While the man walked to the back of the store, the women picked up a slushee drink and three packages of instant noodles, said clerk Alan Huynh, Thanh's son. The women argued over payment at the counter, distracting Alan, while the man grabbed the items and stuffed them into a backpack and under a long coat, said.

Thanh, who was on the other side of the business at the time of the theft. He had seen the man walk out of the store pressing his coat to his leg. Alan said the three suspects were in the store for about five minutes and that the male suspect seemed like a "professional" thief, given how much he was able to steal in a short time.

The man exited the store first, walking briskly to a late- model dark blue/green GMC Jimmy SUV, according to police. He gestured to one of the women as he walked past, said clerk Alan, and the two followed shortly after. Thanh said he recognized the second woman and stopped to chat with her briefly outside. Neither father nor son was yet aware of the theft.

When Thanh re-entered the store he noticed that several items were missing and congratulated his son on having sold them that day. The men then realized what had happened and phoned police.

Thanh said he phoned a relative of the woman he recognized and told her he would drop charges so long as all the items were returned. Thanh said he believes the woman was being used and was not aware of what had happened until after the fact. He said his store has been open since Aug. 18, 2010 and despite often serving large numbers of customers, including big groups of students, he has never had any trouble before.

Thanh said he likes his customers to feel comfortable in his store and generally finds they return the respect he shows them. He was taken aback by the thief's boldness.

"He just took everything and walked out ... like he owned the store," he said. Despite this, Thanh said he believes that everyone makes mistakes and wanted to give the suspects the chance to make amends.

It is unclear whether the RCMP will be pursuing charges independently. Cost. Kathy Law could not be reached for comment yesterday.

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