DIDSBURY – Thanks to help from local residents, Didsbury RCMP were able to arrest a suspect following a string of vehicle thefts. Mounties arrested Donald Salahub, a 46-year-old male from Calgary, in Didsbury on Oct. 2.
The incident began when a vehicle was stolen in Red Deer and later dropped in Bowden. A second vehicle was stolen in Innisfail and abandoned in Beiseker. Another vehicle was then taken in Beiseker and abandoned at a farm near Carstairs.
A fourth vehicle was stolen near Carstairs, which later stalled and was left in a farmer's yard. The thefts occurred between Oct. 1 and 2.
“After driving this suspect into town, the alert farmer called RCMP to report his suspicious behaviour,” said Sgt. Kimberley Pasloske. “Our investigation determined that the stalled vehicle was stolen and linked this occurrence to the prior reports of stolen vehicles.”
The investigation involved several detachments including Red Deer, Innisfail, Olds, Beiseker as well as Didsbury. Didsbury RCMP and the Carstairs community police officers reviewed evidence provided by several local businesses.
“Subsequently, local citizens were alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect,” she said. “After receiving a tip about his whereabouts, Salahub was arrested in Carstairs.”
Salahub is facing 15 Criminal Code charges related to the string of vehicle thefts. He had a judicial interim release hearing and is currently remanded in custody. He is scheduled to attend court in Calgary on Oct. 6.
“The RCMP would like to thank the citizen who picked up the phone to report his suspicions to the police, and the local businesses who assisted the investigators in this case,” she said.
“This arrest is a great example of the critical role that local citizens and community police officers play in helping the police ensure safe communities. I'm incredibly proud of our community.”
