Ont. man facing a total of 57 charges after vehicle smash-and-grab spree

An undated police image of a vehicle with a smashed window and text indicating additional charged have been laid in a property Crime Investigation. (Supplied/Sault Ste. Marie Police Service)

A 42-year-old man is facing more criminal charges after an investigation by police in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., into a series of vehicle smash-and-grabs throughout the city.

The accused was initially charged on Sept. 6 with two counts of mischief, one count of theft and failing to comply with a probation order. Police said the charges stemmed from two smash-and-grab incidents reported that morning in a parking lot on Queen Street East.

“An investigation revealed the accused, who is not known to the victims, smashed a window in each of their vehicles and stole property from one of the vehicles,” the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service said in a news release Monday.

The accused was located and arrested by detectives later that evening.

Additional charges laid

Following the initial arrest, police have laid 53 more charges against the same man.

“The investigation revealed the accused smashed a window in each of the vehicles, stole – or attempted to steal – property from all the vehicles, and used some of the victims’ stolen debit and/or credit cards to fraudulently make multiple purchases,” police said in a second news release Wednesday.

The additional charges are connected to 11 more smash-and-grab incidents between Aug. 13 and Sept. 4.

The vehicles were parked in lots across the city, including on Albert Street East, Bay Street, Churchill Boulevard, Elgin Street, Great Northern Road, Lake Street, McNabb Street, Northern Avenue East and Queen Street East.

Dozens of new charges

Detectives went to the Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre at about 4:10 p.m. on Tuesday to arrest the accused on the new charges.

The 53 additional offences include:

• 11 more counts of mischief,
• nine counts of theft from a motor vehicle,
• two counts of attempted theft from a vehicle,
• seven counts of possession of property obtained by crime,
• six counts of fraud,
• seven counts of theft of a credit card and
• 11 additional charges for failing to comply with a probation order.

He remains in custody at the Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre pending a bail hearing.