North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP are probing a series of break-ins that occurred in downtown Chemainus on Friday night.
Three businesses were all broken into on June 1 resulting in an unknown amount of cash being stolen.
At approximately 7:30 p.m. the window of the Saltspring Soapworks was smashed and till rifled through but there was no money on site.
Roughly 20 minutes later the front doors of the Utopia Bakery were smashed and the till and cash register stolen.
Then, at 10:56 p.m., the glass at the Subway was smashed and cash was targeted.
RCMP said a suspect was caught on video surveillance and is described as male, with a slender build, wearing blue jeans and a dark hoodie with white lettering on the back across the shoulders.
“It is reasonable to believe that this same male may be responsible for all three incidents as they happened within the same time frame and in the same geographical area within the small downtown core of Chemainus,” said Cst. Pam Bolton.
The Chemainus BIA sent out an advisory to members also drawing their attention to one witness who saw an extended white half-ton pickup truck that was parked and later fled from the area around Waterwheel Park.
The organization is recommending the following tips to limit risk to crime:
- Please take extreme precaution to remove any cash on premises - your till and floats
- Indicate “No Cash On Premises” via a sign on your door
- Ensure if you have a security alarm it is armed upon closing at all times
If you have any further information regarding these incidents, please contact the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522 or Crime Stoppers at cowichancrimestoppers.com; you can TEXT a tip by typing COWICHAN plus your tip to 274637, or call 1-800-222-8477.