Police in Salmon Arm say they arrested a man “well known” to them Wednesday after responding to a call about a smashed front door at a local business. A pedestrian reported the damage on Lakeshore Drive Northeast around 6 a.m., Salmon Arm RCMP said in a statement Thursday. While responding officers were waiting for the property owner, they found three additional businesses in the area that had sustained similar damage, according to the statement. “Police obtained video surveillance and were able to identify the suspect, who was well known to police,” it reads. “At 9 a.m., Salmon Arm RCMP arrested 49-year-old Kevin Kilmartin and held him for a bail hearing.” Kilmartin has been charged with two counts of breaking and entering and two counts of mischief, according to police, who said he had been “remanded into custody by a judge.” Several ongoing court files Online court records suggest this is not the first time Kilmartin has been accused of breaking and entering and mischief this year. His next appearance on the charges laid Wednesday is scheduled for Aug. 26 at 9:30 a.m. in Kamloops. There are six other files listed in B.C.’s Court Services Online database that involve an accused with the same name and year of birth and have the same next appearance date, time and location. Of the six, five involve charges that were sworn earlier this year, and the sixth involves charges sworn in November 2025. The charge in this earliest case is theft $5,000 or under, an offence that allegedly occurred on Aug. 16, 2026. Across the other five files, Kilmartin is charged with possession of stolen property, possession/use of a stolen credit card, four more counts of theft, two more counts of mischief, two counts of breaching an undertaking and another count of breaking and entering. The offence dates for those charges are listed as June 15, 17, 18 and 19 of this year, except for the breaches of undertaking, which allegedly occurred on Aug. 11 and 12. In the Thursday statement, Salmon Arm RCMP Const. Andrew Hodges highlighted the importance of video evidence to police investigations, urging businesses to ensure their video surveillance systems are functioning properly. “Salmon Arm RCMP recognize these offences are extremely upsetting and costly to local businesses and residents,” Hodges said, in the statement. “Police were able to quickly identify a suspect from the video surveillance a local business provided. Video surveillance can provide key evidence to support charge approval, be a deterrent to crime, and is strongly recommended to all local businesses.”
