A Barrie homeowner who inadvertently left their key fob in their SUV awoke Friday morning to discover the vehicle had been stolen.
This happened in the area of Letitia Street and Sunnidale Road.
The owner had installed a tracking device in the SUV, and police located the vehicle around 7:40 a.m. in a plaza at Bayfield Street and Sophia Street. The SUV was towed to Barrie Police headquarters for forensic examination.
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Using video surveillance from a business in the plaza, police say they caught a partial image of a person walking away from the SUV. Police searched the area and found a man on foot, who was taken into custody.
Police allege the key fob was found in his possessions at the time of his arrest.
A 36-year-old from Simcoe County is facing charges of theft and breach of probation. Further investigation revealed that he was also wanted by Barrie police on outstanding warrants for two counts of break and enter.
The accused was held for a bail hearing.
"The owner of this SUV will be getting their vehicle back later today," police said in a news release.
"The Barrie Police Service is using this theft as a reminder to residents of our community to never leave a key fob for your motor vehicle in your car and to always make sure that anytime you park and leave your car unattended, that you ensure that it is locked."
