Suspects arrested in Christmas Day break-ins
By JEREMY APPEL on December 28, 2019.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel Police responded to a pair of Christmas Day break-ins – one at a residence in the morning and the other a business at night – successfully arresting suspects in both cases. “Christmas Day is typically pretty quiet for us,” Medicine Hat Police Service Insp. Brent Secondiak told the News Friday. “To have two B&Es on the same day that we’ve apprehended the suspects for is quite unusual.” The residential break-in occurred Christmas morning, with a couple receiving an “unpleasant surprise,” as per an MHPS news release. A 43-year-old male suspected of being heavily under the influence of drugs entered their residence in the Church Court SE neighbourhood, causing less than $5,000 damage to the house. Secondiak called this incident “quite traumatic for the homeowners.” The residents called police promptly and patrol officers arrested the suspect on scene without incident. The suspect, who cannot be named until the charges against him of break-and-enter and mischief under $5,000 are officially sworn, is not known to the residents. The accused had to be hospitalized due to “pre-existing medical issues,” which Secondiak says were likely exacerbated by drug-use. Around 10 p.m., police were called by an intrusion alarm to a business at the 500 block of S. Railway Street. After speaking with the business manager, police determined the perpetrators had smashed a window to gain entry and fled the area on foot, startled by the alarm. Cops noted footwear prints in the snow leading away from the main door of the building in the southbound direction. They set up a containment and arrested a 39-year-old male and 37-year-old female nearby. Secondiak says winter weather conditions can play a favourable role in tracking down the suspects. “If it’s fresh snow, it’s quite easy because you can follow them, and can check with footwear to see if it’s similar to the tread impressions on the bottom of somebody’s shoe,” Secondiak explained. “But in this case, I think they had some property associated directly with the place that was broken into and it was quite easy to identify who they were.” Charges of shop breaking with intent are pending against the duo. Besides these two instances and a pedestrian hit by a truck on the highway, Secondiak said Christmas Day was “relatively calm.” “We’ve had a lot of property offences in the last day-and-a-half,” he said. “It was generally quiet, not a whole bunch going on, but more than we had hoped.” 20-19
