Cameras aid in Dawson theft case

It was a busy week for a suspected thief who was targeting Dawson College.

On Feb. 14, during a midday break for students attending a class on the college's fifth floor, a thief snuck into the empty classroom and stole some jackets, keys, bags, and electronics.

Then on Feb. 15, between 7:09 and 7:18 p.m., a man entered the school through the metro entrance, took the stairs to the fourth floor, walked into an unlocked depot and left with a $1,600 projector. "The officers went to take a report for the (projector) theft," said Station 12 constable Adalbert Pimentel. "There was video surveillance."

On Feb. 18, police noticed a man sleeping in the school and saw he had a scanner with a Dawson sticker in his bag. The man was charged with theft, given a citation to appear in court, and then released.

Only a day later, on Feb. 19, two police officers on the beat near Ste. Catherine Street and Peel noticed a man rummaging through an unsuspecting homeless man's belongings. When they approached for a closer look, they recognized the man from the Dawson security camera image.

He was arrested, charged with breaking and entering, and detained. "The first time the man was arrested, the police hadn't made the link because the video wasn't released to all the police stations yet," Pimentel said.