Gatineau police arrest tornado looting suspect after items found for sale online
Posted October 18, 2018 11:05 am.
Last Updated October 18, 2018 11:40 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
GATINEAU, Que. – Gatineau police say they have arrested a man after items allegedly stolen from tornado-damaged apartments ended up for sale on an online classified site.
Police received a complaint Saturday after a woman discovered a break-in at her damaged apartment. The same complainant later informed them that she had discovered her own belongings for sale online.
Police say they went to a nearby address on an unrelated matter Monday and found a large number of items that appeared to have been stolen from the disaster zone in Gatineau’s Mont-Bleu district.
Many homes and buildings are still being renovated after powerful tornadoes hit the Ottawa-Gatineau area on Sept. 21.
Police say one of the officers recognized some of the items as those advertised online.
A 26-year-old man was arrested and will appear in court at a later date. Authorities said this week they are working to match the items seized to their owners.