Five people believed to be responsible for a spate of property crimes have been arrested after a pair of police chases.
According to Prince George RCMP, a man and girl were arrested on Thursday after locating a stolen vehicle being driven onto Eaglenest Crescent off Tabor Boulevard.
The truck, a GMC pick up, was reported stolen on Wednesday from a Shelley Road driveway. It was found abandoned in the middle of the road a few minutes after the RCMP's Street Crew unit spotted it on Thursday and a police dog service team tracked two suspects over a number of fences, through a number of yards and across four streets where they were finally found on Antler Avenue.
Both were taken into custody without further incident, though the man gave police a false name.
Sam Anthony Rossetti, 20, has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, obstruction, possession of a controlled substance and two counts of failure to comply with probation. Rossetti will remain in custody until his scheduled court date of Jan. 5.
A 17-year-old girl, whose name can't be released under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, break and enter to steal firearm, weapons trafficking, unauthorized possession of a firearm, trafficking in stolen property and possession of a stolen firearm.
The last five of the girl's charges are in relation to a break and enter on a rural property this summer. On June 24, two rifles were stolen from an Inga Road home. One rifle has been recovered but another Accuracy International Bolt Action .338 Lapua Magnum has not been found. The girl, who will appear in court Tuesday, is believed to have been responsible for the theft and sale of the guns, said a police press release.
On Saturday, two stolen Ford trucks were spotted on the Willowcale Forest Service Road.
According to the RCMP, officers attempted to pull over the vehicles, but both drivers attempted to flee from police. Shortly after, the driver of a white Ford F-150 jumped out of the still-moving vehicle and got into the other truck, a blue Ford F-350, while it was still still moving.
RCMP officers deployed a spike belt along Buckhorn Lake Road, which the suspects drove over. Despite this causing significant tire damage, the suspect driver continued to run from police, driving on two tires and two rims.
"Traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Highway 97 towards Prince George, the suspect driver attempted to force an oncoming fully marked police car off the road, narrowly missing colliding with it," said RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Craig Douglass, in a statement.
The driver continued in the wrong lane towards oncoming traffic until the truck went into the ditch and rolled onto its side near the intersection of Highway 97 and Bowron Road.
One suspect fled into the wooded area before police arrived on scene. Two other suspects, a man and woman both known to police, were taken into custody as they crawled out of the truck.
Police service dog Azar went after the fleeing suspect, who began to punch and kick at the dog when caught. The suspect was cuffed and sent to the University Hospital of Northern B.C. for minor bite wounds and minor injuries from the crash.
Azar was also checked and found to be uninjured.
Investigation confirmed the white Ford F-150 out of Quesnel earlier that morning and that the blue Ford F-350 was stolen from a Quam Avenue home that morning as well. Evidence and stolen property was seized from the stolen vehicles and in the suspects' possession. Further investigation has led officers to recovering eight firearms that were stolen on Dec. 17 from a rural residence on Grassland Road.
Dale Al West, 35, is on the Prince George RCMP's prolific offender list. He has been charged with three counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, break and enter to steal a firearm, trafficking in property obtained by crime, theft over $5,000, flight from police and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
Colby Selly Johnson, 32, is a Charlie Lake resident, though has previously lived in Prince George and is well known to police. He was charged with theft over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, flight from police, resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer (Azar). At the time of his arrest, Johnson was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for being unlawfully at large after breaching his parole.
Brittany Jean Schram, 20, is also known to police. She was charged with two counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, break and enter to steal a firearm, theft over $5,000, flight from police, possession of a controlled substance and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000.
West and Johnson will be in custody until their next court appearance scheduled for Jan. 6. Schram is in custody until her Dec. 24 court date.
"All five of the accused are well known to police and to each other," said Douglass. "They are being investigated for many other property-related crimes in the Prince George and Quesnel areas, including vehicle thefts and break and enters."
