Kelowna repeat offender again behind bars

Kelowna Mounties are reporting that they arrested a known repeat offender this week after he allegedly broke into a downtown shop.

It was just after 8 p.m. Wednesday, when the front door glass was breached in a retail shop in the 1200 block of Cannery Lane.

“Prior to police arrival, employees had already recognized the suspect via the live CCTV feed and located him nearby with some of the stolen items which they recovered,” RCMP said in a press release.

“Employees then alerted police to the suspect’s location where he was arrested and an additional stolen item from the store was recovered from his person.”

Justin Wayne Collins, 46, is now in custody and has been charged with break and enter. Collins is scheduled to next appear in court Monday, May 29.

1:06 Prolific offender from Kelowna back in court

Collins’s alleged break-and-enter was only hours after his release from court where he faced several other offences including theft and mischief stemming from incidents on May 22 and May 23 in Kelowna.

“Justin Collins is a prime example of a repeat offender who has shown he is simply unwilling to stop committing crime and victimizing our businesses and downtown core” Cpl. Michael Gauthier said.

“A collaboration between attuned business owners, the police and the BC Prosecution Service has resulted in this individual remaining in custody over the weekend whilst seeking further detention.”

Kelowna RCMP have been raising concerns about prolific offenders in recent years, noting that the bulk of the petty crimes committed tend to be done by a relatively small pool of known criminals.