A Nanaimo RCMP auxiliary officer’s alertness helped arrest a prolific offender and salvaged 50 years of memories for an elderly Nanaimo couple.
Police received multiple 911 calls Friday at about 9 p.m. from residents at 158 Promenade Dr. on Cameron Island saying a man was trying to break in to their suites.
One caller said his patio door had been smashed, another heard a loud bang and another caller said he opened his drapes and came face to face with a man on his patio.
Officers, including auxiliary constable Mike Donnelly, got a description of the suspect.
Donnelly caught a glimpse of the suspect trying to flee the area and after a short chase the suspect was nabbed along with a bag containing two laptop computers belonging to a couple whose suite was broken into.
When the officers returned the laptops they were told they contained a Power Point presentation, prepared by the couple's daughters, to commemorate their 50th wedding anniversary the following day.
Christopher Daniel MacDonald, 37, no fixed address, was held in custody to appear in Nanaimo provincial court Tuesday where he was charged with break and enter, attempted break and enter, possession of stolen property and mischief under $5,000. MacDonald was also charged for breaching probation orders stemming from charges against him in the Lower Mainland and Shawnigan Lake.