A Brampton man has been arrested and charged after Barrie police say he stole jewelry from a local retirement home Friday.
On July 26 at 1 p.m., officers responded to a reported break-in at a local seniors' residence on Letitia Street in northwest Barrie.
From the investigation that followed, police say 25-year-old Brampton man went to the retirement home at approximately noon while residents were at lunch.
Police say the man then proceeded to locate units he was able to access and stole jewelry.
According to police, staff at the retirement home confronted the man as he exited a unit. Although he claimed to be employed by an outside nursing agency, they didn’t believe him and held him pending officers' arrival.
When the man was arrested, police say a black vehicle parked at the front of the building fled.
The identity of the driver and licence plate of the suspect vehicle remains unknown.
The accused has been charged with break and enter, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and failure to comply with an undertaking.
He was held in custody for a bail hearing on Saturday and was released to appear by video at the Barrie courthouse on Aug. 19
Barrie police are reminding the public that, when leaving your home, apartment or retirement residence, to always lock your door, and if you ever see someone who does not appear as if they belong, or is acting in a suspicious manner, to always call the police.
Police also say private contractors who are on site at apartment buildings or retirement homes to perform a specific work-related task should always have proper photographic identification which identifies them and who they are employed by, should have a contractor tag, and should, where possible, always be escorted by a staff member.
“Thankfully, no one was injured as a result of this incident, and police are working with the staff and residents of the involved retirement home to reunite them with their jewelry,” police stated in a news release.
