Mission – A 29-year-old property crime offender from Mission was arrested last week, after police executed a Search Warrant at his residence.
On the morning of May 29, a resident from Abbotsford noticed that someone had entered onto his farm property overnight, and stole keys to numerous vehicles, as well as a pair of Apple AirPods. The resident used an app to determine that the AirPods were currently at a gas station in Abbotsford. The resident attended the gas station and noticed a suspicious vehicle filling up at the pump; however, the suspects took notice of the resident’s vehicle at the gas station – as it was the same one they had broken into hours earlier – and got spooked as a result. One of the suspects quickly reversed, taking the entire gas pump hose with him, as he had still been fueling up his tank. Another suspect quickly pulled the hose out, then they fled the area.
Soon afterwards, the AirPods showed that they were in a mall parking lot in Mission, but again the suspects noticed the resident’s truck arrive, and they sped off again, reportedly driving dangerously and into oncoming traffic. Fortunately, the suspects drove to their residence on 6th Avenue, which was identified with help of the tracking information from the AirPods. Police were called, and Mission RCMP’s Crime Reduction Unit used unmarked vehicles to conduct surveillance of the residence, while other officers applied for a Search Warrant.
The Warrant was granted hours later, and officers from Mission RCMP and the Abbotsford Police Department executed the Search Warrant that evening. The AirPods, stolen keys, and various other identification documents were subsequently located by police. A 29-year-old man from Mission, with numerous prior convictions for property crimes and other offences, was taken into custody.
