Alberta RCMP recover more than $400,000 in stolen property

Alberta RCMP in Onoway — about an hour west of Edmonton — say they have recovered more than $400,000 in stolen property.

It started last week when central Alberta asked RCMP to help with a police break-and-enter in Thoresby — police shot at a resident who tried to intervene with a suspect, and a vehicle rammed a police cruiser.

That led investigators to track down the suspect and search three rural properties, where they found stolen items, including two large RV trailers, property, as well as guns and drugs — three central Alberta men now face multiple charges.

“So the giant trailer behind me, if it doesn't have a lock on the hitch and you have a fifth wheel, you can hook it up and drive away,” said Staff Sgt. Brandon Humbke, with the Central Alberta RCMP.

According to RCMP, the alleged thieves also stole a hot tub.

“Yes, the hot tub was stolen—it was a new hot tub that was stolen from a distributor in Thoresby and found on Breton's property. It's not every day that we see a new bathroom stolen.”

One of the accused, 38-year-old Justin Handbury, is in a program called Alberta's Top 100 Offenders Program. A list for law enforcement agencies in Alberta that assesses someone's negative interactions with the police and the severity of their crimes.

“The 18-month period justifies their rating. In this case, Mr. Handbury is the 57th offender in the province of Alberta this month. The number one damage will be the highest, meaning they will hurt Alberta communities the most. Mr. Handbury is number 57 – we're going up to 60,000 depending on what's going on in the province,” explained Staff Sgt. Luke Hhalvorson, with the Alberta RCMP.

This will allow police to focus and coordinate more resources on the most dangerous areas of the province.

“Let's shift our patrols to where they live or prioritize those offenders if they're doing curfew checks or compliance checks.”