Athabasca RCMP are celebrating another small victory in a much larger problem of organized theft in the region, having made three arrests in the Perryvale area in connection to thousands of dollars of stolen property.
The arrests were part of an interdepartmental investigation between RCMP detachments in Athabasca, Slave Lake, Barrhead, Morinville, Redwater, Boyle and Westlock, and came only a month after Athabasca RCMP arrested four individuals in the Forfar area May 28; a theft ring Athabasca RCMP had been closing in on for at least seven years.
On June 24, Athabasca RCMP executed a search warrant of a rural location in the Perryvale area which resulted in the arrest of three adults.
Kristie Lee Zehner and Gary William Fornahl-Bogden both face charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of a prohibited weapon, and Andrew Dwayne Lysohirka has been charged with a number of stolen property offences and a number of firearms offences. He is also accused of tampering with a vehicle identification number.
The charges against the three accused include possession of stolen property both over and under $5,000, as well as prohibited weapons offences.
Sergeant Brian Scott of Athabasca RCMP announced last Thursday that Fornahl-Bogden, 30, “was also wanted on Canada-wide warrants out of Leduc for attempted murder, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public.”
A fourth person from the Westlock area may be facing similar charges, but police would not release the name at this time as the investigation is still underway.
The lead investigator in the Perryvale investigation, Athabasca RCMP Corporal Rick Dozois, confirmed members of the Perryvale and Forfar theft rings were acquainted, but would not elaborate on the extent of the theft rings’ connection.
Dozois said the items seized were valued in the thousands of dollars.
“Police located stolen property as a result of their search, namely vehicle parts dismantled from stolen vehicles and evidence of destroyed vehicle identification numbers,” Dozois cited from his court report delivered to the Crown prosecutor.
“The property was used as a location to bring, dismantle and distribute stolen property. A common, known term, “chop shop,” is a good description of the property used by members of this group,” he said.
Dozois said the scary part of the way theft rings operate is that members will often come straight up and knock on someone’s front door to see if they’re home, and if they are not, the thieves view the property as prime real estate to burgle.
He recommended residents make an effort to keep their homes looking occupied.
“I think it’s important for the public to know that they should be keeping items of value locked up and secure, if and when possible, and report suspicious activity to the police,” said Dozois, adding that the Perryvale theft ring “has been responsible for a large portion of our property-related offences” since he started at the Athabasca detachment more than four years ago.
Lysohirka and Fornahl-Bogden are appearing in Athabasca Provincial Court this morning (July 2), and Zehner will appear on July 22. Fornahl-Bogden will appear via closed-circuit television, according to Dozois, who said Fornahl-Bogden is being remanded and will not be released.
Of the role Athabasca RCMP played in the arrests, Dozois said, “We are driven right now at this detachment especially, and the other detachments that surround us or border us are taking note and following up their investigations.
“We’re leading the pack,” he said.
