A new Surrey RCMP officer’s keen observation skills led to the arrest of a wanted auto thief and the return of a stolen vehicle.
On December 19, 2015, an employee at a car dealership in South Surrey was tricked into handing over a set of keys to a brand new pick-up truck to a male suspect who promptly drove off before the theft was realized by staff.
The matter was reported to police and the dealership provided surveillance photos of the suspect and theft to local television who broadcast the images for identification of the suspect.
Constable Orin MacDonald, one of the 100 new officers recruited by the Surrey RCMP recently and with only two months of service under his belt, recognized the suspect in the broadcast after having dealt with him previously.
On December 31st while working his first New Year’s Eve shift, Cst. MacDonald spotted the stolen vehicle being driven by the same suspect during a coffee break.
When I saw him drive by I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, says Cst.MacDonald. I jumped out of my seat and told my Field Coach, Cst. Bussieres, what I had just witnessed. It was very exciting how the arrest of the suspect unfolded so quickly!
Together the two officers followed the suspect when he entered a nearby liquor store and arrested him without incident and recovered the stolen truck.
Charged in this incident is 52 year old Langley resident, Dean WILLIAMS. WILLIAMS, known to police, has been charged with Theft over $5000 and Possession of stolen property over $5000.
Crimes involving auto theft are far reaching, says Cpl. Scotty Schumann. Anytime the Surrey RCMP can take a stolen vehicle off the road we’re improving the safety of our community and reducing the likelihood of other crimes being committed.
Not only that, but this car dealership will get their valuable vehicle returned. This incident was a real tribute to the tenacity and attention to detail displayed by one of our brand new members, and we wish him many similar successes over his career!
On behalf of Haley Dodge I want to say thank you to the media for broadcasting the suspect and truck photos and to the Surrey RCMP for arresting the suspect and recovering the vehicle, says Joe Haley, President and Owner of Haley Dodge. The stolen truck unfortunately received about $3,000 in damage, but we’re happy to have it back.
