'It's a headache to deal with': Townhouse involved in semi crash robbed

| May 9, 2023 in Kelowna

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(UPDATE: May 9 @ 10:50 am) - Two men who are well known to police are in custody and facing several charges including break and enter, the fraudulent use of a credit card and failing to comply with a release order. 

At approximately 5:30 am on May 8, the Kelowna RCMP received a report of a break and enter and theft of a motor vehicle from the Cameron Avenue residence.

The stolen vehicle was equipped with a GPS tracking system and was located nearby later in the day. 

Kelowna RCMP Target Team officers conducted surveillance on the vehicle and safely arrested the 36-year-old Kelowna man who was driving it. 

A simultaneous investigation took place after credit cards were stolen from the same residence and used fraudulently. 

Frontline officers located the suspect observed on video using the credit cards and took him into custody.  

The 45-year-old Kelowna man was arrested for possession of stolen property and is under investigation for the related break and enter. 

Both individuals are scheduled to appear again in Kelowna Provincial court this afternoon.

(Original Story: May 8 @ 6:40 pm) - The townhouse that was crashed into by a transport truck in April has been robbed. 

Homeowner Samer Shehadeh said it looks like three or four guys were at the property multiple times over the weekend, drinking, lounging and taking valuables.

“Yesterday, we knew that something didn’t look right with the house,” Shehadeh told KelownaNow. 

“The semi truck door was open and it looked like the door was closed to the kitchen that’s downstairs, and we saw that the kayak outside was missing.”

This morning, Shehadeh received a call saying that a security guard who was monitoring the property was approached by the men. 

“They all dressed as construction workers, and when the security guard confronted them for ID, they threatened him and they had something in their pocket that looked like a knife,” he explained. 

The RCMP investigated the house by flying a drone through it, and based on preliminary findings, Shehadeh said a lot of expensive valuables were stolen.

Among those valuables was a car.

“With my GPS, the RCMP was able to track the car and arrest the guy who stole it,” Shehadeh said, adding that another suspect was arrested earlier today.

“They stole credit cards that were in the house and they bought McDonald’s, they were at the gas station, and then at the Independent Grocer, the transaction didn’t go through.”

Shehadeh got an alert on his phone and contacted the RCMP.

“They dispatched someone there immediately and arrested the guy right there on the spot while he was at the cashier,” he explained. 

The house has since been boarded up, but the incident has delayed the process of removing the truck. 

“They were supposed to be showing up today and preparing to remove the truck this week,” Shehadeh said. 

“It's a headache to deal with.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the family. 

KelownaNow has reached out to the Kelowna RCMP for comment, but has yet to hear back. 

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