Police blotter

British Columbia: RCMP in North Vancouver arrested an 18-year-old man they found in the trunk of a car he allegedly broke into. After receiving reports of a smashed car window, the Mounties searched the area with a canine unit, but didn’t come up with anything. It wasn’t until police brought the car back to its owner that they opened the trunk and found the man hiding inside.

Manitoba: A 37-year-old man was arrested in Winnipeg after he allegedly conned six families out of a total of $5,000. Police say he posed as a furnace repairman, making cold calls to offer his services. In most instances he didn’t do any tinkering and simply took people’s money. But in one case, police say he installed a faulty valve that could have caused a carbon monoxide leak.

Ontario: A 24-year-old Toronto drug smuggler was banished from Windsor and surrounding Essex County after he was convicted of travelling with crack cocaine shoved into his rectum. A judge in Windsor concluded that her city doesn’t need any more drug mules. “Drugs, guns—we have it up to here,” she said.

Quebec: Eight people have been arrested for participating in Montreal’s so-called “lost in West Island” scheme. Typically, one of the culprits would approach a pedestrian or idling car, pull out a map and pretend to be lost. Then, as the victim was distracted, co-conspirators would pick their pockets or nab things from the front seat of their car. They allegedly stole nearly $50,000 in goods in 49 separate robberies.

Nova Scotia: A Halifax teenager was arrested this week after he allegedly went on a reckless joyride in a stolen truck. During the drive, which occurred late last month, the teen reportedly smashed into a cop car, a fire hydrant and two power poles. The latter knocked out electricity to 1,800 homes and businesses for several hours.