Prolific offender arrested, charged after cache of stolen IDs found in search of Saanich home
A prolific offender has been arrested and charged after police searched a home in Saanich and found more than 100 pieces of personal identification, including passports, bank cards and drivers licences, believed to have been stolen from vehicles throughout Greater Victoria.
Saanich police began investigating a string of thefts from vehicles in January. Evidence obtained during the investigations eventually led officers to a residence in the 1500-block of North Dairy Road.
On Wednesday, the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team assisted detectives in raiding the property, where they uncovered a cache of ID cards, passports, laptops and other personal items, Saanich police said.
Investigators suspect some of the bank cards were used to make fraudulent purchases in the Greater Victoria area.
"While officers believe that most of these items had been stolen from vehicles since the start of the year, further processing will be required in an attempt to trace each item to specific crimes," the Saanich Police Department said in a statement Friday.
"Every attempt to return the items to their rightful owners will be made."
Tyson Airaksinen, 45, has been arrested and charged with breaching a release order and one count of possession of property obtained by crime.
Airaksinen was already serving a conditional sentence for fraud, possessing stolen property and breaching an undertaking when he was arrested, according to court records.
Saanich police say further charges of possession of stolen property, fraud, and identity theft are still being investigated.
"The suspect was well-known to police for similar offences over the years," Saanich police spokesperson Const. Markus Anastasiades said.
"This is a good reminder for everyone to try their best to remove important personal and valuable items from their vehicle when left unattended," he added.
"Most of these thefts occurred in public parks when the occupants left their valuables hidden in their vehicles before they set off for a walk or hike."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.