Noise complaint at Metchosin lagoon ends in arrest, recovery of stolen truck, weapons

The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police "E" Division Headquarters (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck).

Mounties in Metchosin, B.C., say a noise complaint led to the recovery of stolen property, including a pickup truck, identification and credit cards.

West Shore RCMP officers responded to the small parking lot at Albert Head Lagoon just before 1 a.m. Tuesday after a complaint about loud music.

On arrival, officers immediately recognized a white Ford F-250 they had been searching for the previous day, police said in a release Thursday.

Police believe the pickup was used in a theft in Sooke on Wednesday and was itself stolen out of North Saanich on Feb. 14.

The Sooke theft involved stolen credit cards that were used to make multiple fraudulent purchases in the West Shore area, police said.

Mounties say a search of the vehicle turned up stolen credit cards and stolen identification, as well as a crossbow and bear spray.

Police arrested the driver, a 35-year-old Victoria man, for theft, possession of stolen property and failure to comply with a probation order. The man was under court-ordered conditions to not possess crossbows, police said.

"This is a prime example of exactly the kind of unpredictable situations that police officers attend every day," West Shore RCMP Const. Andrew Matheson said.

"What began as a simple noise complaint quickly unfolded into a complex multi-jurisdictional investigation."

The Victoria man was released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.