Two people are facing a lengthy list of charges after RCMP recovered $250,000 in stolen property and dismantled a vehicle chop shop northeast of Edmonton last month.
On Feb. 24, RCMP from Bonnyville and the Lakeland crime reduction unit began a stolen property investigation after finding a stolen Ford F350 service truck from Innisfree at a rural property in La Corey, a hamlet about 20 km north of Bonnyville.
Officers attempted to arrest two people suspected of stealing the truck, but one of the men resisted and a taser was deployed. After that, the two men were taken into custody without further incident and the property was held while police got a search warrant.
The next day, the property was searched with the help of the RCMP K Division north auto theft unit, where a chop shop was discovered.
Police recovered an assortment of stolen property, as well as nine stolen vehicles — several of which had received fraudulent vehicle identification numbers.
Police eventually found and recovered three additional stolen vehicles as a result of the continuing investigation.
In the month since the investigation began, an estimated $246,188 in stolen property has been recovered by police.
Police issued a reminder to people to be cautious when purchasing vehicles or vehicle parts through private online sales.
Kyle Donovan Fletcher, 33, of Vegreville was charged with:
- Obstruction
- Assault on police
- Attempt to disarm a police officer
- Fail to comply with release order
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000
- Mischief over $5,000
Dean Peter Gamache, 31, of La Corey was charged with:
- Trafficking in property obtained by crime over $5,000
- Tampering with a vehicle identification number
- Twelve counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000
- Four counts of possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000
- Mischief over $5000
Both men were held for a bail hearing, which was denied and they remained in police custody.
Fletcher and Gamache are both scheduled to appear in Bonnyville Provincial Court via CCTV on April 6.
Bonnyville is about 240 km northeast of Edmonton.