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Oliver man accused in 3 smash and grabs in 30 minutes faces other break-in charge

Lloyd Baptiste is currently in custody and will be back in court Feb. 15
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The Oliver man accused of three smash-and-grabs within a 30 minute span on Feb. 5 is now facing further charges dating back to October 2022’s wave of break-ins.

Lloyd Baptiste, 43, will be back in Penticton Provincial Court on Feb. 15, facing charges of break and entering and possession of stolen property in connection to the break-ins on Feb. 5.

He will also be in court that day facing charges related to an Oct. 27 incident in Oliver where he is accused of break and enter with intent to commit and offence and stolen property under $5,000.

He is currently being held in custody.

Officers responded to three different break-ins in the early hours of Sunday morning, Feb. 5. While patrolling the area after the third incident, police located a man on a bike who attempted to flee from the officers.

“In a short time span, one person is suspected to have committed three break and enters in our small community. I commend the officers who were working during the early hours of Sunday morning for apprehending this person who has caused so much damage in Oliver,” said Sgt. Don Wrigglesworth.

READ MORE: Three smash and grabs in Oliver in 30 minutes

The first incident was reported at a business in the 200 block of Fairview Road, where the commercial alarm was triggered just after 3 a.m. A large rock appeared to have been through a window, and drawers and cabinets had been rummaged through.

Just a half-hour later, another alarm went off, this time for a business in the 5800 block of Main Street. Another window had been broken and a small amount of cash and other items were taken.

During the investigation of the other break-ins, officers on patrol spotted a broken window in the front door of the A&W Restaurant on Main Street. When officers opened the door to clear the building, an audible alarm went off.

This is when officers discovered a suspicious person on a bicycle. The man was taken into custody and found to be in possession of items that linked him to the break-ins.

For such a small community, Oliver experienced an unprecedented amount of smash and grabs at businesses and buildings around town.

In the space of a month, there were about 16 reported break ins in and around Oliver, with two individuals arrested in early November.

READ MORE: Wave of break-ins continue to plague town of Oliver

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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Monique Tamminga

About the Author: Monique Tamminga

Monique brings 20 years of award-winning journalism experience to the role of editor at the Penticton Western News. Of those years, 17 were spent working as a senior reporter and acting editor with the Langley Advance Times.
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