Following a joint investigation by Airdrie RCMP and the Calgary Police Service (CPS), Claudio Colin Quniteros, 29, and Cara Patricia Gavin, 32, both of Calgary were arrested and charged with theft over $5,000 on Jan. 29. The arrests come after the Toys “R” Us store at CrossIron Mills mall near Balzac reported some significant thefts in December 2014.
“Through the month of December (2014), it’s alleged that Ms. Gavin was employed at Toys “R” Us as a cashier, and through that month there were a number of transactions that went through her till, some of which were put through properly and some which were not,” said CPS District 7 Operations Team Sergeant Jim Leung.
“Through those multiple transactions, Toys “R” Us is missing over $8,000 worth of merchandise.”
According to Leung, Quniteros, who was formerly known by the name Steve Todd, was also arrested and charged on March 3 with three counts of robbery and one count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose in relation to a violent incident of shoplifting at the Heritage Meadows Superstore in Calgary in August 2014.
He has also been charged with an outstanding warrant for threats to cause bodily harm stemming from an incident in February 2015.
Quniteros and Gavin were arrested in Calgary as they were getting out of a black Dodge pickup truck. Leung was not able to confirm whether the pair are related or in a relationship. Both have been released from custody pending trial.
Gavin will appear before the Case Management Office in Airdrie on March 18 while Quniteros will appear in Airdrie Provincial Court on March 19 for election and plea, according to a spokesperson for the Alberta Provincial Courts.
According to Leung, a search of the vehicle turned up a fake police badge, blue and red dash lights and a set of handcuffs. Police are now concerned that Quniteros may have been impersonating a police officer.
“We’re reaching out to residents to let them know we’ve arrested Mr. Quniteros and seized these objects from his vehicle,” Leung said.
“While it’s entirely not illegal to have strobe lights and/or handcuffs and/or a fake badge, it’s only in the action of portraying himself as a police officer that makes out the charge of impersonation.”
“We’ve done a search back six months to see if there’s any impersonation-type events we should be concerned about where a black Dodge truck has been used like a police vehicle with strobing lights,” he said.
“If Mr. Quniteros has approached anyone suggesting he is a police officer or been stopped by a black Dodge truck such as the one he owns, please contact the District 7 CPS office (by calling 403-266-1234) or through Crimestoppers.”
If you have any information on any crime, call the Airdrie RCMP detachment at (403) 945-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
