A police sting in which bait property was planted in a vehicle has led to charges for three men.
Justin Dereck Murphy, 30, faces five counts, Eugene William Alfred Jimmie, 29, faces two and Alphonse Hecter Carpenter, 32, faces two after they were arrested on Friday in the city's downtown.
Police said that just after 10 p.m., the two approached the vehicle, looked inside and, despite a partially rolled-down side window, one of them used a hammer to smash out the glass.
The two grabbed the items and fled on foot but were arrested a short time later.
While they were being arrested, police said another man - Carpenter according to court records -walked past a row of RCMP vehicles and, despite the obvious police presence, stole another bait item and was quickly apprehended.
Both Murphy and Jimmie remained in custody as of Tuesday while Carpenter was released on an undertaking.
Three days earlier, a bait bike was deployed downtown and yielded three arrests in just over an hour. Charges remain pending and their names were not released.
"Our bait programs continue to lead to arrests and charges of those people in our community that choose to steal from others," said Prince George RCMP Staff Sgt. Kent MacNeill. "We often have people in handcuffs within minutes of deploying bait property. Having those people off the street will almost certainly prevent others from being victims."
