A couple arrested at the White Bear Hotel in possession of a stolen vehicle back in December has led to a litany of charges in connection to crimes across Saskatchewan and Ontario.
The couple were arrested in White Bear on December 18 for possession of stolen property because the vehicle they were driving was stolen from Wapella. The adult male and female came to the attention of the RCMP when members of the public informed police a couple was at the White Bear Hotel seeking food and lodging while claiming they had no identification or money.
The next court appearance for 37-year-old Dustin Purvis and 33-year-old Katelyn Jane Koury is on Wednesday, February 13 in Swift Current Provincial Court by video link.
RCMP report it took some time to identify the suspects, and conduct an inventory of the contents located inside the vehicle. And while the RCMP investigation is still ongoing, the duo are facing a total of 74 charges. This long list of charges includes:
Thirteen counts of possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000; nine counts each of possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 plus theft, forgery, misuse of credit card; four charges of mischief under $5,000; three charges of both mischief under $5,000 and possession of matter stolen from mail; a pair of charges of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 for the stolen truck, two charges of possession of matter stolen from mail; as well as single counts of: obstruct a police officer; fail to comply with recognizance; theft under $5,000; theft, forgery, misuse of credit card; theft from mail; fail to comply with recognizance; theft of motor vehicle; theft under $5,000; unauthorized use of credit card data; theft from mail; uttering a forged document; fraud greater than $5,000; fraud less than $5,000.
The Kyle RCMP Detachment is currently processing over 200 exhibits in relation to charges just from Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction.
Saskatchewan RCMP note the Regina Police Service is currently investigating numerous, recent instances of identity fraud, possession of stolen property and the fraudulent purchase of a vehicle. These investigations will include consideration of any evidence linking these recently-arrested suspects to unsolved crimes of a similar nature in Regina.
The couple is also facing 165 charges from the Ontario Provincial Police in central and northeastern Ontario. Those charges include dangerous driving, fraud, possession of stolen property, possession of controlled substances, and many more.
There are possibly more incidents across Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario that have not yet been linked to the activities of this couple.
