Friday, October 29, 2004

Assault Charge

A 23-year old male will be appearing in bail court today after being arrested yesterday morning from an incident of domestic assault. It is alleged that the male assaulted his girlfriend on the 28th by grabbing her and trying to force her out of her residence. The victim did not receive any injuries. The male has been charged with one count of assault.

Theft

Yesterday afternoon 51-year old Bernie Agawa of 192 Frontenac Street was arrested for stealing an “I am Canadian” jersey from the Beer Store on Bruce Street. Mr. Agawa left the store carrying the jacket and was located shortly after the incident wearing the jersey. He has been charged with one count of theft under $5,000 and will appear in court on December 6th.

Customs Stop

Around 7 pm last night Kenneth Herman, age 63, of Ruthven, Ontario was stopped at Canada Customs and was given the roadside test, which he failed. Mr. Herman was then arrested by the City Police and charged with one count of consume over the legal limit. The accused will appear in court on December 6th.

Theft-Witnesses Needed

Officers from the Investigation Services Section are actively investigating a robbery and they are asking for any information from the public that can help get this criminal off of our streets. Yesterday afternoon at approximately 12:20 pm an elderly female was walking across the south side parking lot of Canadian Tire heading for the Group Health Centre when an unknown male attacked her. The male forcefully removed her purse from her causing her to fall to the ground. He than fled with her purse and was seen getting into a vehicle and fleeing the area. The victim received some minor scrapes and bruises. Fortunately the victims purse, with all her identification, was located in a dumpster by the Cambrian Mall Security staff. Unfortunately all of the money she has in her purse was gone. The male suspect, described as being young, wearing black pants, black hat and a black jacket was last seen getting into the passenger side of a small dark royal blue car. The car had tinted windows and had headlights that flip up. If you witnessed this incident, know who this suspect is, or recognize the description of this car, call City Police at 949-6300 or Crime Stoppers at 942-7867.

Police Remind Public

In light of yesterday’s robbery, the Sault Ste Marie City Police would like to remind the public that as they are preparing for Christmas and lots of shopping, would be thieves are also preparing themselves for the opportunity to shoplift and steal. There are ways in which you can protect yourself from these thugs. Don’t carry a large amount of cash; rely on a credit card or two, as well as a debit card. If you have a debit card, don’t write your PIN number anywhere in your wallet and don’t use your date of birth as a PIN number. This is a common practice and once a thief has your wallet they also will have your date of birth on some piece of identification. If you do carry a purse, make sure it has zippers or flaps that can make it harder for a pickpocket to remove. Be aware of your surroundings. If you feel someone is following you, don’t go to an isolated area. If you use the bathroom, don’t hang your purse on the hook of the door-all a thief has to do is reach over, grab and run. Don’t set your purse in a shopping cart, even if you are right there. In a second a thief can quickly grab it and run. Keeping these things in mind will hopefully allow for a safe shopping time.