One man is in custody facing multiple charges connected to a pair of residential break-ins in Vernon.
Things started when a man was woken up in his Okanagan Landing home on Willow Park Road before 3 a.m. Friday due to a commotion.
“He noticed the front door of his residence was open, then saw a man exiting the shop at the rear of the house,” said Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy.
“When the resident confronted him, the suspect took off in a vehicle.”
It was discovered that numerous items had been stolen from the residence and shop, including a mountain bike, purse and several electronics.
Nearly an hour later, at 3:45 a.m., a townhouse in the 4900 block of 25th Avenue was broken into. Items stolen in this break-and-enter included a purse, identification and keys.
Several tips from the public, and investigation by Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP, led to the arrest of a man at approximately 5 a.m.
“He was found in possession of many of these stolen items at the time of his arrest,” said Noseworthy, who added that further investigation linked the man to a vehicle that had been stolen from the Vernon area two days prior to this.
The vehicle was recovered by police and items inside further linked the man to a theft from a vehicle which occurred overnight between Jan. 11 and 12. The vehicle had been parked in the 2200 block of 32nd Street. Numerous pieces of identification, a tire and various other items that had been stolen were found in the vehicle.
Ian James Macdonald, 37, described by police as being from the Okanagan, is facing 15 charges including break-and-enter to a residence, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of break-in instruments, theft, possession of a controlled substance (marijuana), and breach of a probation order.
Macdonald has been remanded in custody and was slated to appear in Vernon Provincial Court Monday.