SIDNEY -- A stolen vehicle from New Westminster was recovered in Sidney this past week.
On Tuesday at around 8:30 in the evening, Sidney-North Saanich RCMP responded to a report of a suspicious male sitting inside a vehicle in a parking lot near Resthaver Drive and Harbour Road. According to the initial report, the man had been sitting inside the vehicle for several hours, prompting a nearby business to call the authorities.
Upon their arrival to the scene, officers would determine that the vehicle -- an early 2000's Hyundai -- had been stolen from New Westminster just one day earlier. Corporal Chris Manseau with the BC RCMP says that the suspect was also found to be breaching court conditions.
"The male was identified and determined to already be on court imposed conditions." said Cpl. Manseau. "He was found breaching those conditions, including being in possession of a weapon."
Despite the suspect being high risk, officers were able to arrest the man without incident, as he'll now remain in police custody until being sent to Vancouver for a court date this coming Wednesday.
As for the vehicle itself, Corporal Manseau adds that it has begun it's journey back to it's rightful owner on the mainland, and that officers are now investigating whether the suspect used BC Ferries to transport the stolen vehicle to Vancouver Island.
"We're going to be searching for video from BC Ferries to see if he came across in the car, or video of him stealing the car from New West." said Cpl. Manseau to CFAX 1070. "That will all play a part in the court process."
The male has since been charged with Possession of Property Obtained by Crime -- as well as Breach of a Release Order -- as he had recently spent time in prison and had been released on conditions. It's also noted by RCMP that the man does not have a fixed address, so it isn't known whether he's originally from Vancouver Island or the Lower Mainland.