Police charge 5 Calgary men and recover stolen vehicles worth more than $180k

A Calgary police auto theft investigation has ended with the arrests of five men and the recovery of six vehicles worth more than $180,000.

The police service's auto theft district operations teambegan its investigation when astolenDodge Ram already under surveillance was involved in a "high-speed vehicle taunting incident" on Dec. 14.

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After the truck was dumped in the area of 14th Street and 16th Avenue N.W., police started investigating suspects believed to be connected to the vehicle.

Police were then tipped off that more stolen vehicles were connected to the investigation.

On Dec. 21, there was abreak-in in the northwest community of Tuscany, which policebelieved to be connected to the auto thefts.

Later that day, investigators found one of the vehicles at the Flames Community Arena on 47th Avenue S.W. Aman believed to be connected to the truck was watching hockey inside.

After a brief struggle, the man was taken into police custody and charged. Police then searched the stolen Tacoma in the parking lot, where they found $30,000 worth of stolen property fromtwo break-ins including the one in Tuscany, according to a police release.

The next day, police found a stolen Audi A4 outside a southeast Walmart. Two men were arrested as they returned to the car after shopping.

By the end of December, three more stolen vehicles all Ford F-150swere recovered by the team and another man was taken into custody.

In total, five Calgary men face37 criminal charges. The men charged are Cameron Randall, 34, Dale Christopher MacPherson, 33, Evan Richard Buttle, 31, Julius Peacemaker, 30, and Matthew Alan Douglas Cross, 35.

Randall faces charges of breach of probation, and Peacemaker was arrested on outstanding warrants.

The other men face a number of charges that include possession of stolen property over $5,000.

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