A free ride for a couple of car thieves ended abruptly Thursday night when they were arrested less than three hours after the vehicle was reported stolen.
At about 9 p.m. Thursday, Prince George RCMP front-line officer patrolling the VLA area spotted a Nissan Pathfinder which matched the description of the vehicle stolen at 6:40 p.m. that night. The owner had left the SUV running with the keys in the car while retrieving a jacket inside and returned to find the vehicle gone.
Hours later, the RCMP officer spotted the Pathfinder as it pulled out of a driveway and followed it until it stopped at a business at the 1700 block of Strathcona Avenue. The officer activated his emergency lights and told the driver and passenger they were under arrest for possession of a stolen vehicle.
The driver was identified by police as 40-year-old Gordon Laliberte and the passenger was 37-year-old Virginia Denning and they were taken to the Prince George RCMP detachment on Victoria Street.
The B.C. Prosecution Service approved charges of possession of stolen property against Laliberte and Denning, while Laliberte also faces of charge of driving while prohibited.
They were released pending a court appearance at the end of March.
