Cochrane RCMP members and the Cochrane Crime Reduction Unit (CCRU) were making patrols in the Springbank area Sept. 21 when they observed a suspicious vehicle – a 2013 Dodge Ram pickup truck – in a field near an abandoned residence.
“With our CCRU, right now, one of the large focuses we’ve had is working on break-and-enters and theft of mail in the Springbank and Bearspaw areas, because we’ve seen an increase in those types of offences,” Cochrane RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said.
“We had our members in the area looking specifically for this type of rural crime. When they came across this vehicle at an abandoned house, we believed the occupants of that vehicle had broken into that house.”
As police approached the vehicle, the suspect attempted to flee the area but immediately became stuck in the mud.
Inside the truck, police seized items including copper wire, driver’s licences and passports that have been directly linked to break-and-enters in Bearspaw and Springbank.
Police arrested the female driver without further incident.
Eighteen-year-old Calgary resident Margaret Hunter has charges pending on seven counts of possession of stolen identification, one count of break and entering to commit theft and one count of possession of a stolen vehicle.
Hunter was released from custody Sept. 21, according to Savinkoff, and her next court date is Oct. 15 in Cochrane.
