A man well-known to Prince George Mounties is facing a dozen charges related to theft, as well as breaking and entering, following an attack on a retail store employee in the Spruceland area.
After responding to multiple reports, in addition to the assault, RCMP arrested William McBride on Monday (March 15) finding he found in possession of stolen property from multiple recent break-and-enters.
At about 11:40 a.m. that morning, Mounties were called to a retail location at 700-block Central Street West on reports that someone was attacking a staff member.
Officers raced to the location and, thanks to detailed descriptions from the victim and several witnesses, had the suspect in custody less than three minutes after receiving the initial calls.
Store employees said they asked the man to leave as they suspected him of shoplifting but when retail staff approached the male, he became belligerent and struck one of the employees.
Mounties say when searching the suspect’s bag and coat for potentially stolen property belonging to the establishment, police recognized that some items were from recent break-and-enter cases.
This included laptops, surveying equipment, iPads, bankcards, webcams and small tools, and many of the items had names of local businesses on them.
Officers transported the suspect to the Prince George RCMP Detachment, where they confirmed his identity as William McBride, who is well-known to police.
The B.C. Prosecution Service approved 12 charges against McBride, including:
- Four counts of possession of stolen property under $5,000
- Possession of stolen property over $5,000
- Two counts of failing to comply with release order
- Two counts of failing to comply with probation order
- Break and enter
- Assault
- Mischief
McBride is in custody until his next court appearance, set for April, as police continue to investigate these and other break-and-enters in the areas where he's been identified as a suspect.
Anyone with more information about these criminal offences is asked to call Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300, anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or go online to www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca.
