Sask. men wore disguises in ATM crime spree, say RCMP

Two men have been charged with a number offences after what police say was a crime spree across Saskatchewan that included the theft of ATMs.

A 58-year-old man from Saskatoon and a 49-year-old man from One Arrow First Nation have each been charged with 24 counts of break and enter, 12 counts of possession of the proceeds of crime and 14 counts of wearing a disguise while committing crimes.

Saskatoon RCMP said in a news release on Friday the Saskatoon man was arrested on March 9 on Highway 11, south of Saskatoon.

Police said officers continued to investigate after his arrest and determined that more than 20 incidents throughout Saskatchewan were connected, including six ATM thefts and “many” thefts of motor vehicles.

One of the ATM thefts was on Nov. 18, 2023, when a Saskatoon RCMP officer found a chain had been used to pull the machine out of a business and steal it, along with approximately $20,000 of cigarettes. Police said the ATM was later found in a field.

Police said this was just one of “a number” of ATM thefts in Sask. RCMP jurisdiction in 2023.

On Aug. 1 police then searched a home on One Arrow First Nation and arrested the 49-year-old man.

The Saskatoon man is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 29, while the man from One Arrow First Nation appeared in court earlier this week.

“Saskatchewan RCMP is uniquely outfitted to make links between, and investigate, crimes in multiple jurisdictions,” says Insp. Ashley Levy, Saskatchewan RCMP’s Central District Operations Officer.

“That’s exactly what happened in this case — Saskatoon RCMP took the lead in investigating a potential string of crimes, with the assistance of many other RCMP detachments and specialized units.”

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