Customer Spits on officer
Police were called to respond to an unruly customer at London Drugs in Port Place Mall on Dec. 13. Police were told a man attempted to steal rubbing alcohol and he spit on a loss prevention officer when he intervened. The suspect was gone by the time police arrived and patrols did not find him, according to O’Brien.
Wallet stolen from woman while handing out soup to homeless
A woman had her wallet stolen in downtown Nanaimo while handing out soup to homeless people on Dec. 6. Within an hour, over $160 in charges had been made on her debit card, according to RCMP. Police identified a 20-year-old woman using surveillance footage from business — she now faces charges of fraud and theft.
“Our complainant has been reimbursed for the charges incurred, however, she had to cancel all of her credit cards, and must now replace her personal ID and purchase a new cell phone and wallet — not fair,” said Const. Gary O’Brien in a media release.
Shed broken into and emptied
Suspects broke into a backyard shed on the 200 block of Seventh Street and stole all the contents, according to police. The thieves left nothing behind on the night of Dec. 16 — police said weed wackers, a Stihl chainsaw, table saw, tile cutter, drill, garden shears and shovels were all stolen.
“What the thief didn’t know was that the tools belonged to the home owner’s recently deceased husband, who had died just two months prior,” O’Brien said. “The homeowner told officers the items were very sentimental and could not be replaced.”
Most of the items were generic and serial numbers were not available for most of the tools, police said.
Neighbour dispute
Police were called to a home to assist with an ongoing dispute between two neighbours on Dec. 16 in south Nanaimo. When officers arrived, the neighbours were having a verbal disagreement, according to O’Brien.
“The neighbour’s kids told the other neighbour to shut up when she got upset over them filming her. She then told them to shut up and to top that, she told their dog to shut up,” he said.
It did not appear to be going well and officers saw no reasonable solution, O’Brien added. When an officer attempted to speak to the neighbour who called, she did not provide details and walked back into her house.
Woman arrested after acting erratically at Port Place Dollarama
Police made an arrest after a call of a woman acting erratically, refusing to wear a mask and eating un-paid for products at the Dollarama in Port Place Mall on Dec. 16. Police said she ran out the back door when officers arrived.
“The officer could tell she wasn’t doing very well. For her safety and that of the public, she was arrested and held in the Nanaimo cell block until sober,” O’Brien said.
Outreach workers came to the detachment in the morning to assess her mental well-being and the RCMP mental health officer was notified of the situation.
Bike Theft
Police responded to a mountain bike theft on Dec. 10 on Prideaux Street. A security guard provided police with video footage of the suspect and his truck. Officers located the man with the bike and returned it to the owner, according to O’Brien. The suspect was arrested for the theft, but the owner did not want to pursue charges.
“Maybe, just maybe, this gesture, might have an impact on our bike thief and get him to change his ways. There’s always hope,” O’Brien said.
OnPoint and Excerpt
Nanaimo RCMP responded to calls including a shed break-in, unruly customers and a neighbour dispute.
