A 15-year-old boy from St. Catharines has been charged with several counts of mischief in connection with a string of car break-ins that took place in Niagara-on-the-Lake over the holidays.
Fifteen total incidents of vehicle break-ins were reported in NOTL between Dec. 21 and 31, Niagara Regional Police said in a statement.
Police later confirmed the suspect had already been arrested for failing to comply with his release order and had been in custody since Dec. 31.
The youth was originally arrested on Dec. 6 and held for a bail hearing. On Dec. 7, he was released from custody with conditions, Const. Phil Gavin told The Lake Report.
“Those charges included theft of a motor vehicle (two counts), possession of property obtained by crime, dangerous operation of motor vehicle, flight from police and mischief,” Gavin said in an email.
Then, on Jan. 2, the suspect was hit with additional charges: 25 counts of mischief under $5,000, two counts of using an unauthorized credit card, possession of a stolen vehicle and failure to comply with his release order.
As of Tuesday morning, he remained in custody.
He was charged with incidents in Old Town, Chautauqua, Niagara on the Green and Niagara Stone Road near Creek Road, Gavin said.
The investigation remains ongoing with initial damage estimates at more than $40,000, police said.
John Fuller’s car was one of a reported 12 broken into in the early hours of Dec. 31, around 3 a.m.
The window of his car, parked outside his home on Dorchester Street, was smashed in, but nothing was stolen.
“Apparently his bail lapsed, so the cop said he was just acting out between the hours of midnight and 3,” Fuller told The Lake Report.
“He just smashed things and didn’t really care about money,” he said.
The person who broke Fuller’s window drove around in a stolen black Ford F150, but Fuller says there are other instances of robberies and break-ins in NOTL being done by another group.
Home security videos posted by victims to the Facebook group NOTL 4 All show multiple people breaking into or damaging cars in several neighbourhoods.
The investigation remains open and ongoing to identify any additional suspects, Gavin said.
Any members of the public who have photos or videos with more than one suspect and want to pass these images and recordings along to the investigating detectives can call 905-688-4111, option 3, extension 1007518, he said.
Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa said the best thing NOTLers can do for the time being is be vigilant with their private property.
The town is working closely with police to ensure information is shared with the public appropriately, Zalepa said.
Gavin said, alongside the officers who regularly patrol NOTL in their vehicles, there are now detectives and members of the street crime unit working in town, plus two additional officers from Niagara Regional Police’s youth engagement and community outreach team.
Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477.
juliasacco@niagaranow.com
