Two Airdrie men were apprehended by Cochrane RCMP in the early morning hours of Aug. 3 after an alert resident noticed suspicious prowlers checking door handles and entering vehicles nearby.
According to an Aug. 6 release issued by the detachment, Cochrane RCMP responded to the call on River Avenue, shortly after 3 a.m., and quickly located a suspicious vehicle operating in the neighbourhood.
"A check revealed the occupants were on release conditions, including a curfew," the release stated. "A number of suspicious items were observed in the back seat of the car."
Both the vehicle's driver and passenger were then arrested for breaching court-imposed conditions, and a more thorough search of the vehicle and their persons revealed a significant stash of stolen property. According to the release, RCMP recovered a stolen wallet, some stolen credit cards, a stolen passport, two sets of stolen golf clubs, a stolen RCMP police badge and several cellular telephones.
A quantity of methamphetamine was also found, the release added.
Tyler Joshua Bell, 22, and Rory William Libbrecht, 20, both of Airdrie, are charged with nine counts of possessing property obtained by crime. Bell is charged separately with breaching his release conditions and possession of methamphetamine, while Libbrecht is charged separately with two counts of breaching his probation order.
According to RCMP, Libbrecht remains in custody, while Bell was released and appeared in court Aug. 6. The result of this appearance was unknown at time of publishing.
"Cochrane RCMP are thankful for vigilance, but remind residents to secure their belongings and lock motor vehicles," the release stated. "Cochrane Crime Reduction Unit has been actively notifying residents when their vehicles are found insecure overnight.
"Prowlers prey on easy targets – make your space safe. Lock up your vehicles and homes."
