Lottery thieves are willing to go above and beyond in their efforts to bag cash prizes from instant tickets and more without purchasing them first. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested a Nova Scotia individual in Elmsdale linked to some six instances of stolen lottery tickets from stores. The arrest took place when the criminal made an attempt at cashing in one of the stolen lottery tickets.
Over the past few months, signals of store breaking in and thieves stealing lottery tickets across the provinces have increased showing a wave of individuals ready to steal lottery tickets with various games. They proceed in a methodical manner and more often than not hit several locations within several hours. This week saw the arrest of an individual who wanted to cash in the prize coming with one of the stolen tickets but ended up being cuffed.
Lottery Ticket Thief Was After a Prize
David John Campbell, a 44-year-old man from Dartmouth wanted to claim the prize at a retail location on Highway 2 in Enfield. He made his way there accompanied by a female in the car but individuals in the area were more cautious than Mr. Campbell expected.
Extensive details were reported to the police only minutes after the individual made an attempt at cashing. Information that helped police officers was the license plate number, vehicle brand, as well as its color. People in the vicinity of the store also gave officers some idea about the general direction in which the criminal was traveling once the couple had left the Highway 2 store.
What truly helped whistleblowers was the footage taken during his alleged break-ins. Mr. Campbell was arrested less than half an hour later when he was located at another business in the Elmsdale area. He saw as many as six counts of break and enter for his criminal activities in the region that were caught on tape. Two of the instances took place only recently on March 28 and April 2. Allegedly both reports featured missing lottery tickets and cigarettes.
Ontario Lottery Thief Still Wanted
The first reported crime took place at a store located on Sackville Drive in Middle Sackville where the criminal broke in around 1 a.m. There were no employees on site at the time, so Mr. Campbell broke into the store and grabbed a bunch of lottery tickets and cigarettes. A second occurrence featuring the same elements took place this Tuesday in Lower Sackville.
All allegations will be reviewed this Thursday in Dartmouth Provincial Court. As for the female passenger that was seen in the car with him was charged for the possession of property obtained by crime. She would have to pay a visit to the court on May 22. Ontario has also seen numerous instances of lottery tickets being stolen in the presence of employees.
The Orillia division of the Ontario Provincial Police is looking for the individual responsible for the disappearance of lottery tickets worth some CA$1,000. The crimes took place in six retail locations within a time window of six hours. Anyone in possession of information could chime in and report Orillia OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or 705-326-3536.
