THE BATTLEFORDS - A man has been charged in connection to a rash of break-ins impacting North Battleford retail businesses.
According to police, Eugene Bear, 36, has been charged with eight counts of break and enter and commit theft, four counts of break and enter with the intent to commit theft and one count of breach of a release order.
According to police, Bear is in custody and his matters were before North Battleford Provincial Court on Tuesday morning. His next court appearance is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Dec. 16.
The news comes after a lengthy investigation by Battlefords RCMP Detachment and the North Battleford Municipal General Investigation Section. The charges are in connection to the recent and highly-publicized rash of commercial break and enters targeting retail outlets primarily in the downtown core of North Battleford.
According to police, the incidents started in April and went on into October.
Police say that on April 25, a business on Battleford Road was broken into and merchandise was taken from inside.
On Aug. 26 and 31, two businesses on the 1500 and 1300 block of 100th Street were broken into.
On Sept. 12, the business on Battleford Road was broken into for a second time.
During the early hours of Sept. 23, a business on the 1200 block of 100th Street was broken into. That evening and into the morning of Sept. 24, there were a further four related incidents.
Police report that in those incidents, a business on the 1200 block of 101st Street was broken into, and businesses on the 100 block of 101st Street, 900 block of 103rd Street, and Railway Avenue were damaged during attempted break and enters.
On Sept. 30, a business on the 2000 block of 100th Street was broken into. On Oct. 16, a business on the 1200 block of 100 St. was broken into for a second time. The final incident on Oct. 25 saw a business on the 2900 block of 99th Street broken into.
These are new charges for Bear, who was also mentioned in a recent RCMP Weekly Report in connection to an attempted entry to a business on the 2000 block of 100th Street on Nov. 4.
Bear was arrested and appeared in North Battleford court the following day on charges of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possession of break and enter tools, carrying a concealed weapon, failing to comply with a release order and several other outstanding warrants.
The businesses targeted in the break and enter incidents all suffered property damage and often merchandise loss, according to the RCMP. The RCMP is thanking the business owners for their continued cooperation throughout this lengthy investigation, and the public for their diligence in reporting suspicious activity and providing valuable information.
