CALGARY -- A Calgary man is travelling to Spruce Grove to retrieve his vehicle after RCMP found his van, and van's alleged selfie-taking thief, a week after it was stolen.
A 2010 Ford Transit Connect van belonging to Brian Walters was stolen from a southeast Calgary gas station on March 2.
Calgary Police Service officials confirm to CTV News that one of Walters' employees was with the van at the time of theft and Walters was not at the scene. The employee went into the store to report the theft to police and was unable to provide a licence plate number. Officers arrived, collected information from the employee and details regarding the stolen van were shared with CPS members around the city.
A work iPhone was inside the van at the time of theft and Walters was able to track the vehicle through an app as it headed north out of Calgary and eventually past Red Deer. The tracking stopped somewhere between Leduc and Edmonton — after the phone either lost battery power or was turned off — but the phone did record a brief video showing a bald man with glasses and facial hair, which was uploaded to his cloud storage.
Cst. Shelley Nasheim of the Parkland RCMP detachment confirms the van was spotted on the side of the road in Stony Plain on Thursday after the vehicle had mechanical issues.
James Brashko was arrested on scene and charged with one count of possession of stolen property over $5,000. The 49-year-old man from the Edmonton area is scheduled to appear in Stony Plain provincial court on March 11.
Nasheim confirms Brashko had outstanding warrants at the time of his arrest.
In 2011, the Edmonton Police Service issued a warning regarding Brashko following the completion of his four-year sentence at the Edmonton Maximum Institution in connection with break-and-enter and theft convictions. At the time, Brashko was considered to be a violent offender who posed a significant risk to reoffend.
Walters plans to retrieve his van from the Parkland RCMP detachment in Spruce Grove on Monday.
Stony Plain is located approximately 20 kilometres west of Edmonton.
Correction:
The original version of this story included Brian Walters' recount of the theft. Walters indicated CPS members were at the location at the time of the theft but elected not to pursue the stolen van.
CPS officials confirm to CTV News that it was an employee of Walters — not Walters himself — who was with the van prior to the theft and that Walters was not at the scene. Police say the officers did not arrive at the gas station until after the theft was reported.
