Man charged in series of break-and-enters in Leduc, Nisku and Calgary

Police chase thieves who just robbed a Nisku store RCMP were able to arrest an Edmonton man moments after he allegedly robbed a Nisku store.

EDMONTON — An Edmonton man has been charged in a series of break-and-enters after he was arrested while apparently fleeing a Nisku business.

The 27-year-old was arrested shortly after midnight on Wednesday following the robbery of Nisku store Stitchery & More. A vehicle stolen from a dealership in Calgary and a large amount of stolen items were recovered by police.

Security video at Stitchery & More shows shows two people making several trips out of the store with merchandise. Owner Allie Maloney-Peters expects this theft could become more common during the recession.

“Sadly, this is going to get worse before it gets better. People are looking for something they can profit off of. People are looking for something they can get money back from.”

An alarm system quickly alerted Maloney-Peters and her husband that a break-in had happened. When they arrived at the store, police were already there cleaning up. She estimates that between the damage to the door and the stolen merchandise they had lost $12,000 to $15,000.

“It’s hard working, blue-blue collar people like us that are going to be paying for it.”

While reentering the business for more goods, one of the robbers can be heard telling the other, “Don’t be greedy.”

Police arrived just as one of the vehicles was leaving, allowing them to follow and make the arrest.

Maloney-Peters said it hurt to know the store was being robbed.

“Obviously it was a shock. We didn’t know what was happening. We never had this hit us before,” she said, adding, “You just hope to God it’s no one you know, because having someone close to you do this to you, it’s a personal attack.”

The man charged has not been named. He was charged in a number crimes in Calgary, Leduc and Nisku and faces:

Police are encouraging people to report suspicious activity to local police. Call 911 for a crime in progress or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com. People can also use the P3 Tips app available through the Apple or Google Play Store.