On October 5, 2019, members of the Superior East Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a report of a break and enter at a seasonal residence on Serviss Lake near Chapleau, Ontario.
Officers attended the scene and observed signs of forced entry into the residence and that multiple items had been taken from inside. Police were able to locate a suspect in possession of some of the identified stolen items later in the day. As a result of the investigation, Jean-Michel BRANCHAUD, a 33-year-old, from Chapleau, Ontario was charged with the following:
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under $5000, contrary to section 354(1)(a) of the Criminal Code (CC).
On October 8, 2019, a second suspect in the case was located and arrested. Daniel TURNER, a 24-year-old, from Chapleau, Ontario, was charged with the following:
- Break, Enter a Place – Commit Indictable Offence, contrary to section 348(1)(b) of the CC,
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000, contrary to section 354(1)(a) of the CC.
Both accused parties have been released and are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice on December 9, 2019, in Chapleau, Ontario.
As winter approaches, the OPP would like to remind seasonal residence owners to take extra precautions when securing your cottage for the off season. Here are some tips to SafeGuard your home away from home:
- Establish clear views of your windows and doors from a distance.
- Install lighting (if possible) to eliminate dark areas around door and windows.
- Have a trusted friend or neighbour check on the place periodically during your absence.
- Install deadbolts with at least a one-inch throw on all doors.
- Reinforce any windows located in or next to doors that are within 40 inches of a door lock.
- Ensure that all windows have a secondary security device in case the window lock is defeated (wooden dowels are a common example of this).
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