Red Deer, Alberta – A Red Deer man appears in court today after RCMP arrested him in two different stolen vehicles within the space of a day and a half. In court, he will also speak to a theft file from the summer in the downtown, in which he was arrested during the commission of a theft by the Red Deer RCMP Crime Reduction Team and then later arrested again in the December warrant round-up.

Shortly before 8 pm on January 28, RCMP located the suspect in a stolen vehicle parked in a busy north Red Deer lot, thanks to a tip from the public. RCMP blocked the vehicle in to prevent it fleeing and endangering pedestrians and drivers in the parking lot; the male suspect got out of the vehicle and was arrested without incident. RCMP seized methamphetamine from the suspect during his arrest. The vehicle had been stolen that morning out of Red Deer when it was left running and unlocked.

Brandon Loughlin was released on January 29 on a $2,500 no cash recognizance to appear in court on February 2. A condition of his release was that he was banned from being in any vehicle without the registered owner present 

At 6 am on January 30, Red Deer RCMP responded to a report of a vehicle that had been stolen when it was left running and unlocked. RCMP located the vehicle with support from OnStar, and had OnStar shut the vehicle down slowly at a location where police determined there would be no danger to other drivers or pedestrians. Once the vehicle was stopped, the suspect, identified as Brandon Loughlin, attempted to flee on foot but was arrested after a brief foot chase.

Brandon Loughlin was then remanded to appear in court in Red Deer on both stolen vehicle files on February 1 at 9:30 am.

 During his court appearance today, Loughlin will also speak to charges on a file from June 30, 2017, where he was arrested in downtown Red Deer after a member of the Red Deer RCMP crime reduction team on patrol in the downtown observed him stealing a bicycle and arrested him. Loughlin failed to appear in court on that file and a warrant was issued for his arrest; the warrant was executed by Red Deer RCMP during the warrant round-up in December, and Loughlin made his first court appearance on the theft of bicycle file on January 11.

 20 year old Brandon Robert Loughlin faces the following charges with relation to all the above-noted files:

·         Criminal Code 355(a) – Possession of stolen property over $5,000 X 2

·         Criminal Code 334(b) – Theft under $5,000

·         Criminal Code 145(3) – Fail to comply with conditions

·         Criminal Code 145(5) – Fail to comply with conditions

·         Criminal Code 430(4) – Mischief under $5,000

·         CDSA 4(1) – Possession of Schedule I substance (methamphetamine)

 “This series of incidents demonstrates the importance of our Pinpoint crime reduction strategies and their focus on prolific offenders. It also highlights our commitment to public safety and the importance of community engagement,” says Inspector Gerald Grobmeier of the Red Deer RCMP. “This suspect was arrested thanks to crime reduction strategies like our downtown patrols, and our successful warrant round-ups. During both stolen vehicle arrests, RCMP employed strategies to minimize potential harm to the public, and one of the arrests was thanks to a vigilant citizen who recognized the stolen vehicle from a social media page. A successful approach to crime reduction involves a lot of complex elements, and I’m pleased to see how many were used to maximum effect in this series of files.”

RCMP remind citizens that criminals prowl neighbourhoods and business parking lots across the city looking for easy theft opportunities. While police recognize that vehicles need to warm up in the winter months, they advise that vehicles should not be left unattended, that they always be locked and without valuables left inside, and that citizens consider investing in theft prevention devices