It was a case of friendly neighbourhood watchmen in Erin Ridge earlier this week that led to two teens being charged with break and enter with intent to commit mischief.
A neighbour of the home, which was under construction, saw two people entering the home on July 13 around 9 p.m. and called the owner because it seemed unusual. The owner arrived quickly and encountered one young man rushing out of the house. He found another inside, with what appeared to be spray paint, and that young man pushed past him and ran out the door.
Other neighbours saw the two youth running out of the house and photographed them, passing those photographs on to police. Police found the two young men a short distance away, walking southbound along Erin Ridge Drive.
In addition to the breaking and entering charge, one youth was charged with simple drug possession and the other with uttering threats. The pair was released into the custody of their parents and is scheduled to make their first court appearance on Sept. 6.
On July 18, between 5:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., an unknown person(s) broke into a residence at the Sturgeon Point Villas, located on Rivercrest Crescent. A laptop computer and an Xbox were stolen from the residence.
On the same day, during the same timeframe, a second residence at the Sturgeon Point Villas was broken into and an unknown person(s) stole a Mac Pro laptop computer, Sony Vaio laptop computer, a PS3, two iPods, two Xbox 360s, two long boards, a Garmin GPS system, an XM Satellite Radio, a Lumix digital camera, numerous video games and controllers, movies and clothing.
St. Albert RCMP believes these two break-ins may be related.
On July 16, between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., an unknown person(s) vandalized some equipment left on the job site at Fowler Athletic Park, located on Sir Winston Churchill Avenue. The unknown person(s) returned the following evening and opened several gallon pails of pigment, spilling those all over the track field and forklift. The unknown person(s) then knocked over 55-gallon drums and slashed 40-pound bags of crumb rubber, spreading it all around. The liquid spilled stains like blue ink, making it almost impossible to clean. Estimated damage is between $7,000 and $10,000.
St. Albert RCMP is looking for your help to solve these cases. If you have any information about this or any incident, call the St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-7700, or if you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You do not need to reveal your identity.
Previous Crime Stoppers releases are available online through the Neighbourhood Watch website at www.eyewatch.info and may be accessed by clicking on the Crime Stoppers menu item.
