A man and woman from Edmonton have been charged by Lethbridge police in connection with the theft of more than $47,000 in gold chains from a jewelry store. On Aug. 23 around 5:30 a.m., a man was caught on video breaking into Park Place Mall, then proceeding to Paris Jewellers, where he smashed a window to gain entry to the business. “Once inside, approximately $47,100 worth of gold chains were stolen. After leaving the mall, the male entered a waiting Dodge Caravan and fled the area,” police said in a news release on Thursday. Investigators determined that the man and a woman visited several jewelry stores in Park Place Mall two days before the break-in. The pair was soon identified as two Edmonton residents and the vehicle used in the theft was rented in that city several days earlier. It was found abandoned outside Lethbridge on Aug. 24. Meanwhile, police said the suspect purchased an RV from a Lethbridge marketplace seller and used that to leave the area. On Sept. 1, police arrested Waylon Chuck Tourganeau, 39, and Brianna Marcella Bouchie, 34, in Warman, Sask. Officials say the pair also face charges in similar incidents in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In the RV, police found 57 diamond rings that have since been linked to other jewelry store break-ins. Paris Jewellers’ necklaces were not recovered, but police did find a gold smelter inside the RV. Tourganeau remains in custody in Saskatchewan while Bouchie was released on conditions.
