Several Theft Suspects On the Lam
Thefts in Barrie and Bradford Have Police Looking for Mixed Bag of Suspects
Local police might be getting their handcuffs all shined up in anticipation of some theft related arrests.
Officers are on the hunt for what they’re calling a “slouching suspect” after a theft in November. It’s said a man went into a pharmacy on Duckworth St. back on November 25th of last year, taking what he could from store shelves before leaving without paying. Officers say he left wit about $500 in merchandise. He is described as male white, in his 20’s and approximately 5’10-6’ tall. At the time of the incident, he was wearing blue Toronto Maple Leaf’s sweat shirt with the hood up, a baseball cap under the hood, black pants, stood with an obvious slouch in his back and had a moustache, goatee and reddish coloured hair.
Anyone with information on this theft is asked to contact Constable He of the Barrie Police Service by email at khe@barriepolice.ca.
Fast forward to January 11th, where police say a man was captured on video surveillance using stolen debit and credit cards. It started when the victim learned from the bank their cards had been used recently, after unknowingly being stolen from the victim’s vehicle overnight. Police say the cards were used again on January 24th, while store staff said the card needed to be seized. The suspect left. He is described as a white male, about 5’10” in height, with a thin build and a thick beard. He was wearing a black coat with brown patches on the shoulders and arms.
Contact Constable Plumpton of the Barrie Police at 705-725-7025 ext. 2704 or tplumpton@barriepolice.ca if you have any information.
South Simcoe Police say two distraction thefts are being investigated. Officers say a woman’s purse was stolen right out of her vehicle on January 25ht, at the Walmart parking lot in Bradford. It happened while she was loading her purchases into the car; a man is said to have appeared claiming she dropped some coins on the ground. She didn’t notice her purse being stolen while the coins were being scooped up. Police say a similar theft was reported the day prior.
Police warn that distraction theft schemes take many forms including someone claiming your tire is flat, your vehicle is damaged or like this case where someone claims you have dropped loose change on the ground. Other distraction theft ploys are to ask for directions then close in on the victim’s personal space to steal their jewelry or spill something on a victim.
