Break and enter suspects arrested after fleeing in U-Haul van on forest service road

Oceanside, Police Dog Services

2025-01-15 09:33 PST

File # Oceanside RCMP 2025-355

View larger image: Oceanside RCMP Arrest

After fleeing from police in a U-Haul van on Sunday night, three break and enter suspects were arrested and stolen property was recovered and returned to their owners.

In the late evening of January 12, alert Horne Lake residents reported a suspicious U-Haul van that was suspected to have been involved in a break and enter in the area on January 9.

Oceanside RCMP officers immediately attended the area and attempted to stop the U-Haul van on the Horne Lake – Cook Creek forest service road, however the van failed to stop and fled toward Cook Creek. The van was later located at the north end of the forest service road near the Inland Island Highway where it was disabled by police spike belts. The van continued for a short distance on the forest service road, however it was quickly located and found to be abandoned.

Additional officers from Comox Valley and Port Alberni Detachments, as well as a police dog, converged on the scene and after three hours in the woods, police service dog Niro tracked all three suspects from the van.

It was later learned that the location that had been broken into on January 9 had also been broken into again on the evening of January 12, likely just prior to police being called by the alert residents.

Subsequent investigation determined the suspects in the U-Haul van had dumped the stolen items from both break and enters on a spur road off the forest service road.  All of the stolen property was recovered and returned to the owners.

The three suspects, two men and a woman all from Nanaimo, were released from custody to appear in court at a later date.

This is another great example of alert citizens calling police to report suspicious activity in their neighbourhood, says Sergeant Shane Worth of the Oceanside RCMP. The call to police was instrumental in locating and arresting the break and enter suspects and returning stolen property to their rightful and grateful owners.

Released by:

Email: shane.worth@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Website: bc-cb.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/oceanside (English only)

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