Arrests follow golf club break-ins
Fort Providence RCMP charge youths in connection with five break and enters
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, August 1, 2016
HAY RIVER
Two youths have been arrested and charged in connection with recent break and enters at the Hay River Golf Club and a string of other crimes in Fort Providence, say RCMP.
In a news release July 28, police stated the youths from Fort Providence are facing charges related to five break-ins, four of which RCMP in Fort Providence responded to between July 13 and July 26.
Residents of that community have grown increasingly frustrated with property crimes, taking to Facebook and forming a community patrol group.
The two youths, who cannot be named because of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, are also facing charges related to the alleged theft of an NWT Department of Transportation truck that was recovered July 19 in Fort Providence.
The youths are males between 13 and 15. Both appeared before a Justice of the Peace on July 28 in Fort Providence and are expected back in court Sept. 6 in Hay River.
"The Fort Providence RCMP remain committed to providing a safe community and are actively taking steps to curb and investigate property crime in the community," police stated in the news release last week. "Any information from the general public is greatly appreciated and serves to strengthen on-going investigations."
The Hay River Golf Club was the victim of break and enter, not once but twice.
Security images from the scene show two disguised persons in the club during both break-ins.
The first break-in happened at about 3:13 a.m. on July 16, according to an RCMP news release.
"At that time two unknown individuals entered the clubhouse, after disabling the exterior surveillance cameras, and stole a large quantity of alcohol."
The second break and enter occurred at about 4:29 a.m. on July 19.
"During this incident, two unknown individuals entered the golf course clubhouse and stole a small amount of alcohol," states the RCMP news release.
Both incidents are under investigation.
It was not clear last week whether the two youth were involved with both break and enters at the club.
Const. Matt Halstead of the Hay River RCMP wrote in an e-mail the investigation into the July 19 break-in is still ongoing.
"Right now we are looking at the evidence we obtained from both incidents and trying to see if there is a link," he wrote.
Jeff Brockway, manager of the Hay River Golf Club, believed the break-ins are very likely related.
Brockway said the culprits knew exactly where to go to find what they were going to steal, knew where to find a container to put the products in, and approached the building in a manner that was obvious that they knew where the security cameras were located.
"It was well thought out," he said.
During the first break-in, four security cameras were destroyed at a loss of about $800.
Brockway said it was "absolutely" apparent the break-ins were aimed at obtaining alcohol.
"The value of the first has not been totally calculated, but I'm guessing anywhere from $600 to $800," he said of the value of the alcohol stolen.
The second break-in netted the thieves probably no more than $30 worth of alcohol.
"Nothing was vandalized, other than a door frame being broken," said Brockway.
The golf club placed images of the perpetrators on Facebook and asked for the public's help in identifying them.
In addition, Brockway said the golf club has taken "extra precautions" to deter future break-ins, although he declined to elaborate on what those steps might be.
During the second break-in, security cameras also obtained an image of a white truck parked outside the club at the time.
Halstead said the truck looked similar to a highways vehicle, although the image isn't clear enough to identify a logo on the door or a licence plate number.
The constable said a highways truck was reported stolen in Fort Providence on July 19 and recovered there that same day.
It was darker for the first break-in and no surveillance image was obtained of a vehicle in that incident.
Anyone with information on the break-ins can call the Hay River RCMP, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or on the Internet at nwtnutips.com, or text nwtnutips to 274637.
- with files from Shane Magee
