Thanks to information obtained from the public, RCMP arrested 25-year-old Dayton Gavin of Martensville on November 4th after receiving information regarding an increase in local bicycle thefts. The arrest took place in the 500 block of 1st Street South in Martensville.
Sergeant Curtis Little of the Martensville RCMP stated that the RCMP had received complaints this past October regarding theft of bicycles in the area and through information from the community, they were able to follow leads and in this case, were able to identify someone as a result. Gavin was arrested in mid-October and released on conditions into the community.
RCMP then began receiving more calls regarding additional theft of bicycles in the area and with more information that came forward; they conducted an investigation and were able to identify the same person being responsible for a number of bicycle thefts in and around Martensville.
“We were seeing an increase in theft, which is one of the reasons why we were paying attention to it. There is always a one-off, but there was a number of thefts in and around Martensville, so we suspected it was a person or persons that were involved in doing this and a greater scale than a one-time situation. That was of concern to us and something that we were paying attention to,” Little said.
Gavin was arrested by Martensville RCMP on November 4th and is currently facing a number of charges including; possession of property obtained by crime – theft under or equal to $5000, possession of a concealed weapon, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose as well as multiple counts of failure to comply with an undertaking. The suspect was remanded and scheduled to appear in court on November 5th; however, Little did not have information regarding the court outcome at this time.
Little stated that there was another suspect initially involved with the first incident that RCMP are looking into; however, no further information could be provided.
Due to the recent weather conditions, bicycles will likely be stored away until spring, but Little reminds the public to ensure their property is kept safe. “Ensure your property is locked away in a safe location and pay attention out there. If you see people doing things that appear suspicious, call us. We always accept calls like that because quite often in cases like that, it gives us information to look into and can turn up suspects and other investigative leads that help us to solve criminal offences. Thank you to residents for the information they provide us because it is always helpful. It is a partnership in a lot of ways and we appreciate the information that comes forward.”
At this point, Little noted that “There’s nothing I would be able to say that people should be overly concerned about at this point, but they should be paying attention to what is going on around them and that their property is locked away.”
With colder weather settled in now, residents are reminded not to leave their keys in an unlocked running vehicle to help prevent theft.
