One chronic shoplifter in the Port Alberni area has been arrested, but another still needs to be identified.
Over the past couple of months, the Port Alberni RCMP has been responding to large-scale shoplifting calls at Walmart and other area businesses.
These shoplifters are taking large quantities of merchandise and are increasingly brazen in their tactics to avoid apprehension.
Recently, RCMP arrested a 30-year-old Port Alberni man for his role in at least eight of these shoplifting cases, including one where the man deployed bear spray to avoid apprehension. This man is responsible for approximately $5,000 worth of stolen property. The man will be appearing in court Nov. 1.
RCMP are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying another chronic shoplifter in town.
Over the past three weeks, the RCMP has been receiving complaints of a recurrent offender who has been shoplifting from the Walmart store on Johnston Rd. It is believed that the suspect is responsible for six separate incidents of shoplifting.
The suspect is described as a slender-built man between 30 and 35 years of age with short, dark hair and a dark moustache.
If you know the identity of this suspect or where he can be found, please contact Const. Dupuis of the Port Alberni RCMP at 250-723-2424. To report your information anonymously, please call Alberni Valley Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).