Police are investigating a theft that occurred at the Spring Hill RV Park in the early morning hours of March 10.
At about 3:30 a.m. a commercial alarm alerted Cochrane RCMP to the scene of the crime, located north of Cochrane at the corner of Highway 22 and Highway 567.
The park includes a Shell gas station and convenience store.
“Video surveillance shows a single suspect entering the store using a crowbar and heading into a back room,” said Cpl. Troy Savinkoff of the Cochrane detachment.
The culprit made off with a safe, along with a number of registers containing cash floats, he added. The suspect departed the scene in a van.
Later that morning, at about 8:40 a.m., Mounties received a call of a stolen SUV from a property east of Highway 567 — the missing vehicle is described as a medium blue, Ford Escape, Alberta plate number BFG 8939.
Upon arriving on scene, Savinkoff said police located a van stuck on the side of the road near the property with the missing SUV.
“We believe the van is the same one used during the theft,” he said. “In it we found property used to commit the crime, as well as the clothing worn by the suspect.”
He said the van is registered to a man from Calgary.
Savinkoff said RCMP is continuing to look into the matter by following leads and using identification services.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact Cochrane RCMP at 403-851-8000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Arrests have been made following a series of home invasions on the Stoney Nakoda First Nation.
A 17-year-old male has been arrested and is facing several charges, including a number of firearm and theft related offences, following a chase that ended on the Tsuu T’ina Nation March 4.
The young offender’s girlfriend, 16 years old, was also arrested at that time.
“We were looking into this suspect as the main instigator behind the crimes,” said Savinkoff. “Now that he’s been arrested, we’re expanding the investigation to look at other people’s involvement in the thefts.”
The trio of invasions occurred on the Stoney Nation in the early morning hours of Feb. 24. The incidents reported masked suspects forcing their way into the homes, holding homeowners at gunpoint.
Savinkoff said two other arrests have been made in connection to the home invasions, but added that police are still actively investigating the matter.
