Two men have been charged after a Sumas Prairie farmer spotted them attempting to steal equipment from his property.
Abbotsford Police Const. Paul Walker said the farmer noticed the men at about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 15) in the 2900 block of Tolmie Road. The property is located in the area hardest hit by the recent flooding in Abbotsford.
Walker said the two men ran away when they saw the farmer, leaving behind the stolen vehicle they had been driving.
Flood-response officers who had been patrolling the area were dispatched, as were additional officers and the Integrated Police Dog Service (IPDS).
Walker said farmers in the area provided “vital information” to police call-takers who were assisting the responding officers.
The area was contained and, with the assistance of the IPDS, the two men were located and taken into custody.
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Kusone Robinson, 19, and Patrick Schryver, 25, have now each been charged with theft under $5,000.
Schryver has been additionally charged with possession of stolen property and breaching a release order.
Walker said the Abbotsford Police Department is continuing to make the safety and security of Sumas Prairie residents a “top priority.”
“Members of the AbbyPD crime reduction unit, along with our front-line officers, are out patrolling and making every effort to hold those involved in property crime offences responsible,” he said.
According to the provincial court database, Schryver has prior convictions for offences that include possession of stolen property, breaching his probation and dealing with an identity document without lawful excuse.
Among the charges he still has before the courts are driving while prohibited and fleeing from police on Aug. 18 of this year in Abbotsford.
Robinson has no prior charges listed in the database, but he was in the news in 2017 after he was missing from Chilliwack for more than two weeks.
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