SUNDRE — A suspected Calgary car thief was caught by area police after he was discovered relieving himself along a highway next to the vehicle he had just allegedly stolen from the northeast residential area of Sundre.
On Saturday, Nov. 30 at about 2:40 p.m., members of the Sundre RCMP detachment were called out to a vehicle theft that occurred on 8th Avenue NE.
“The complainant reported that he left his vehicle unlocked with the engine running on his driveway as he momentarily went back into his home to grab some footwear,” wrote police in a press release.
“When the complainant returned, he found his car gone and he immediately called police,” reads the statement prepared by Cpl. Joe Mandel.
Officers managed to locate the vehicle on Highway 22, just south of the Highway 582 turnoff, parked on the shoulder of the road.
“A male was standing outside of the vehicle relieving himself and immediately ran into the woods upon the arrival of the police."
Sundre RCMP officers, working in tandem with their counterparts from the Didsbury and Olds detachments, promptly proceeded to track the suspect through the woods for several kilometres. Upon receiving a report of a suspicious male in Cremona, police attended the scene where they discovered the male and placed him into custody.
“This was a combined effort by members from three detachments that tracked this wily thief through the woods and snow for quite a distance,” wrote Mandel.
“An unknowing Good Samaritan picked up this clown and gave him a lift to Cremona, but the tenacity of the members paid off with a positive result. The thief was apprehended and the vehicle with its contents recovered and returned to its owner.”
James Chartrand, 27, of Calgary, was charged with numerous offences: vehicle theft; possession of property obtained by crime; driving while prohibited; dangerous operation of a motor vehicle; obstructing a peace officer; failure to comply with probation; and driving an uninsured motor vehicle. Chartrand was remanded into custody to appear in Didsbury court at a later date.
Whether stopping momentarily at the gas station, grocery store, post office, or even home, police advise people to exercise caution.
“Please be vigilant and don’t leave your vehicle running, especially unlocked,” the corporal said.
“This is a preventable crime and these individuals come from all over and into our community preying on your complacency.”
