A clothing store behind Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C., fell victim to a break-in last Wednesday with the crime caught on the store’s live CCTV feed.
“It was like kind of stressful because obviously like you’re just watching someone, like just going to loot your store,” said Flynn Zimmer, who helps his mom run the family-owned business.
The culprit smashed the front door of the Man Woman Home Boutique and stole hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise.
“We went down there and then found the guy … under a truck, like unconscious or whatever,” said Mitch Hudson, who co-owns a store above Man Woman and helped track down the suspect shortly after the break and enter.
“And then I saw… there was another chick trying to walk away with the stolen goods.”
The suspect is 46-year-old Justin Wayne Collins, a prolific offender, who was arrested by police and taken back into custody.
The break-in happened just several hours after Collins was released from custody after being charged with several other offences, including theft and mischief stemming from incidents the day before.
“Justin Collins is a well-known offender who lives on our streets in Kelowna,” said Const. Mike Della-Paolera. “We’ve dealt with him many, many times.”
Collins has generated well over 400 police files since 2016 for all kinds of criminal offences, including violent assault, robbery, theft and mischief.
The extensive criminal record prompted RCMP to issue a rare public warning about the repeat offender last August.
Police advised the community of his then-release from custody.
They said his presence in businesses and neighbourhoods created concern for public safety.
“You just know that like he’s going to like keep doing the same thing and he has like a clear history on that,” Zimmer said. “I think that something should be done about it.”
In April, the B.C. government announced it would be cracking down on repeat offenders by creating 12 enforcement hubs across the province, including one in Kelowna
But so far the hub model has not materialized.
“Like everybody in Kelowna, we are frustrated,” said Della-Paolera. “But we’re going to continue to do our best to solve these crimes and put these people behind bars. Once that’s done, it’s out of our hands so we can only do what we can do.”
It’s left many business owners very frustrated and many, including Zimmer, ramping up security.
“We’ve talked to a few different companies. I think we’re just going go with like the full-on metal shutters,” Zimmer said. “It’s probably going to be worth it to do that, beef up security and then just not have to worry about it.”