The Clearwater and Barriere communities were hit with rash of break and enters over the long weekend. The first occurred at approximately 2 a.m. on Monday morning, Aug. 1. An unknown suspect smashed the front door of a Clearwater restaurant alongside Highway 5 and walked straight to the cash register. The suspect emptied it in a matter of seconds and departed.
The next place was a café, in Little Fort. The unknown suspect smashed through a side door, stealing alcohol, meat, and money.
Around 4 a.m. the alarm was activated at a restaurant in Barriere, and later it was determined a second restaurant had also been hit.
The MO in all incidents were the same and police from both areas believe the thefts are related. Investigation and video surveillance from two locations (one in Clearwater and one in Barriere) confirmed this).
Police are continuing the investigation and hope to identify a suspect shortly.
The total amount of money stolen was minimal; the damage to the buildings was significantly more.
Cpl Newel says, “Break ins in our community are rare, we have been very fortunate over the years. We encourage people to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity. A license plate on a vehicle located near a business in the wee hours of the morning could be the key.”
Clearwater RCMP are also investigating three other business break-in’s or attempts which occurred several days prior to the Monday incidents. It is unknown at this time whether these are connected or not.