A Cobourg man is facing 42 charges, with more pending, after police searched his vehicle and found stolen property valued at more than $38,000.
The investigation began on August 11 after a person tracked their stolen laptop to a Cobourg home and notified the police. Responding officers determined the stolen laptop was in a vehicle in the home’s parking lot.
The following day, Cobourg police obtained judicial authorization to search the vehicle and seized dozens of stolen property items, including 13 laptops and tablets, numerous government-issued identification cards, checks, and banking and tax documents not belonging to the owner of the vehicle. Police say the value associated with the recovered property exceeds $38,000.
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An investigation involving the Cobourg Police Service, the Durham Regional Police Service, and York Regional Police revealed the property had been stolen in a string of “smash-and-grab” thefts from vehicles at several golf courses, along with thefts from mailboxes in Durham and York regions.
Last Thursday (August 18), police arrested 30-year-old Roderick Newman of Cobourg and charged him with 19 counts of possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, three counts of possession of forged documents, two counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, 17 counts of possession of articles stolen from mail, and one count of possession of a schedule 1 substance.
The accused man was remanded into custody and appeared in court on Tuesday (August 23). Additional charges are pending from the York and Durham region police investigations. The police are in the process of returning the stolen property to its rightful owners.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Cobourg police at 905-372-6821 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at stopcrimehere.ca. Tips received through Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a cash reward.
VIDEO: Deputy police chief Jeff Haskins provides an update on the stolen property investigation