Campbell River’s police service dog has been busy over the last several weeks and has put an end to three major cross Island crime sprees, according to Campbell River RCMP.
On Thursday, Nov. 15, the Campbell River RCMP Community Response Unit attended a residence to arrest a woman responsible for a large number of Campbell River’s theft from motor vehicles.
As the woman fled, Police Service Dog Gator took up the chase and quickly led to her apprehension. She had several outstanding warrants from Campbell River and other places in the province., Cpl. Ron Vlooswyk of the Campbell River RCMP said in a press release. She is facing charges of Theft from Motor Vehicles, Frauds and Uttering Forged Documents.
On Friday, Nov. 23, Gator was at a break and enter where the suspect was captured leaving out the back door. This incident is still under investigation and charges are pending. She is also suspected in other crimes across Vancouver Island communities.
Next, on Thursday, Nov. 28, Gator tracked robbery suspects which led to their capture and arrest. The night before, police were called to a robbery at the Canadian Tire Store. Suspects bolted from the store with merchandise and threatened the pursuing staff with bear spray.
On Thursday, police received a call from an off duty Loss Prevention Officer who saw the suspects. This led police to an area where the suspects had fled and were now contained by the responding officers. Gator was called in and quickly acquired a track. The male suspect tried to escape but to no avail. A female suspect was arrested shortly after.
Both are suspects in numerous investigations from Campbell River, Courtenay, Nanaimo and Oceanside. The investigations are continuing and charges of Robbery are pending.
But it’s not just crimes that Gator was a big help with. On Saturday, Nov. 24, Gator was called to assist in tracking a high risk missing person. A woman left her parents home in the early morning before they awoke. She wandered off into the woods behind the house and had been missing for more than three hours.
Gator tracked for more than three hours before he located her. She was found safe but in an extremely exhausted state, one kilometre from the home. She had become lost, confused and kept walking in different directions.