By Staff
January 24th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
On January 4th 2018, between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM six cars had their windows smashed and items stolen from them while parked at Mapleview Mall at 900 Maple Avenue in Burlington. Items stolen included electronics, clothing, purses and wallets with credit cards which were fraudulently used. Police also received reports of two vehicles stolen from the area of Fairview Street and Drury Lane in Burlington.
Investigators identified a red Chevrolet Trailblazer stolen from Puslinch Township as being involved and that vehicle was located in the area of the two vehicle thefts in Burlington.
One of the stolen vehicles, a Ford F-150 was recovered in Brantford days later and was found to contain stolen property from the Mapleview Mall thefts as well as several that occurred in the City of Hamilton.
On January 16th 2018, members of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau arrested Michel Blair Martin MCNAUGHTON (29-yrs) of Brantford. MCNAUGHTON was remanded into custody charged with the following offences:
• Theft of motor vehicle (2 counts)
• Theft under $5000 (6 counts)
• Mischief under $5000 (7 counts)
• Fraudulent use of credit cards (3 counts)
• Possession of property obtained by crime under $5000
• Possession of break-in instruments
• Fail to comply with probation (2 counts)
Police are reminding the public of the following prevention tips:
• Ensure your unattended vehicle(s) are kept locked/secure
• Never leave personal identification or valuables in your vehicle
• Park in a well-lit and attended areas whenever possible
• Never leave spare keys in your vehicle
• If you have to leave valuables in your vehicle, lock them in your trunk. Don’t tempt thieves by leaving packages or purses in plain view or on the seat.
• Remove garage door openers, GPS navigation and cell phone devices & power cords from view when not in your vehicle
• Consider installing CCTV / Surveillance cameras which can capture the crime and aid in suspect identification
• Ensure their homes and garages are locked when absent from the home or turning in for the night.
• REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO POLICE IMMEDIATELY
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Constable Tyler Freeman of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 ext. 2363. Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See something, Hear something, Say something” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca, or by texting “Tip201” with your message to 274637 (crimes).