The Winnipeg Police Service Property Crime Unit and West District Community Support Unit have arrested and charged a male with 69 break-in-related offences, totalling over $130,000 worth of stolen property.
Between January and September 2022, over a dozen residences in the Southwest area of the city, as well as the Southeast and William Whyte neighbourhoods, were victimized.
During this crime spree, four residences, three garages and approximately a dozen vehicles were broken into, where jewellery, bicycles, and two vehicles were stolen. Numerous wallets containing identification and bank cards were taken from the vehicles. The bank cards were subsequently used to make purchases at various stores.
The following is a list of involved locations and a brief synopsis of some of the occurrences in the order they occurred:
- the first one hundred block of Ferndale Avenue
- 500 block of College Avenue
- 600 block of Niagara Street
- 1100 block of Church Avenue
- 300 block of Stradbrook Avenue
- the first one hundred block of Mapleton Drive
- 800 block of Borebank Street
- 800 block of Waverley Street
- the first one hundred block of Castlebury Court
- 300 block of Abbotsfield Drive South
- 1400 block of Mars Drive
- 1100 block of Henderson Highway
- 200 block of Wellington Crescent
On September 8th or 9th, a male suspect broke into a condo residence in the 800 block of Waverley Street while an elderly resident was sleeping inside. Approximately $10,000 worth of jewellery and identification was stolen. The victim was not harmed during this incident.
On September 9, in the early morning hours, a suspect entered this same condo complex on Waverley, breaking into another resident's garage and stealing three bikes valued at approximately $2,000.
Later on September 9, the same suspect sold approximately $1,800 worth of the stolen jewellery at a trader on Henderson Highway.
On September 11, at approximately 7:30 p.m., a bicycle valued at $5,000 was stolen from an underground parkade in the 200 block of Wellington Crescent.
On September 16, a vehicle parked at a residence in the first one hundred block of Castlebury Court was broken into, and the garage remote was activated. A bicycle valued at $5,000 and tools were stolen.
Between September 19th and 21st, a garage in the 700 block of Weatherdon was broken into, and two vehicles valued at $65,000 were stolen, one being a Chrysler 300.
On September 21, at approximately 3:30 a.m., West District General Patrol members responded to a possible break-in at an apartment in the 300 block of Stradbrook Avenue. An adult male was unloading property from a stolen vehicle (which had not yet been reported) into the building. When police arrived, the suspect ran into the building. He was subsequently taken into custody, where his identity was discovered, and outstanding warrants came to light.
The Property Crimes Unit took over the investigation, and a search warrant was executed on a suite within the block on Stradbrook. As a result of this search warrant, the following items were seized:
- Approximately $35,000 worth of tools
- bicycles
- wallets
- various stolen identity documents as reported above
- shotgun ammunition
A 35-year-old male, Dustin Dean ZORN of Winnipeg, was charged with 69 Break-in and Property-related offences. He was detained in custody.