Skip to main content

'This is not exactly a criminal mastermind at work': Timmins police on rec centre break-in

Share

Timmins police are investigating a break-in that took place during the early morning hours on Saturday at Archie Dillon Sportsplex where thieves unsuccessfully broke into an ATV leaving tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

Officials said disguised suspects gained entry through a back door by force and proceeded to vandalize two vending machines and an ATM beyond repair.

An ATM was vandalized at the Archie Dillon Sportsplex over the weekend during a break-in. Jan. 30/23 (Lydia Chubak/CTV Northern Ontario)

"The subjects proceeded to damage two vending machines and an ATM, never successfully making entry into those machines. They then ventured forth into the concession area and caused some damage to a cash register there and then some office space was compromised and they damaged some property there and made off with other electronic items," Timmins police spokesperson Marc Depatie told CTV News in an interview.

He said arena staff members came upon the perpetrators, who ran away on foot with a hockey bag full of stolen property from the facility.

It was easy to find two of the three suspects, Depatie said, as their footsteps left in the fresh snow led officers to a nearby residence.

"This is not exactly a criminal mastermind at work. It isn’t as though they studied the blueprints of the building and broke in," he said.

"Our message is a strong one. This type of criminal activity just never pays off."

Two 23-year-olds, a local man and woman, were arrested with some of the stolen property and charged in the case.

Police are actively looking for the third suspect, a 24-year-old man.

 
Timmins Mayor Michelle Boileau told CTV News the crime forced the cancellation of hockey for part of the day.
 
"It reinforces the fact that these kinds of socio-economic issues that we're facing aren’t just reserved for the downtown core. They really are happening across the city and so it’s important that community leaders are mindful of that and that as we kind of put together a plan on how we’re going address this that we’re including all of the different neighborhoods," Boileau said.
 
Some of the stolen property has been recovered, police said, but the damage to the machines is estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
 
None of the allegations has been proven in court.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

How do you navigate the social media minefield with your kids?

Growing fears about social media's harm have sparked lawsuits against social media companies from hundreds of school districts in the United States and now Canada. CTVNews.ca wants to know whether your children are addicted to social media or if you have concerns about their usage of platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and X.

Stay Connected