Two men arrested, face up to 30 charges for Vancouver-area commercial break-ins

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Two men have been arrested and charged with 30 offences related to commercial break-ins in Vancouver and surrounding communities over the past few months.

One man was arrested in late March and the other in early April after detectives began investigating a rise in commercial break-and-enters in Vancouver when the COVID-19 pandemic first took hold here.

Detectives from the Property Crime Unit identified a number of suspects as multiple businesses throughout the city closed due to physical distancing recommendations, leaving some stores and buildings vacant.

Officers also began increasing patrols in the areas affected most by property crime.

“We believe that the arrest of these two suspects and the subsequent charge approval will have a major impact on commercial break-ins around the city,” Sgt. Aaron Roed says in a release.

“However, police efforts to target property crime offenders will continue.”

On March 29, police arrested Jesse Palanio, a 33-year-old Burnaby resident.

He has been charged with:

• six counts of break-and-enter;
• two counts of identity theft;
• one count of deal with identity documents;
• one count of possession of break-in instruments;
• two counts of breach of release orders
• one count of fraud
• one count of presentation with intent
• one count of possession of a prohibited weapon;
• one count of possession of stolen property;

On April 3, Vancouver Police arrested Shane Duhamel, a 44-year-old Burnaby resident.

He has been charged with:

• 13 counts of break-and-enter;
• one count of possession of break-in instruments;

Both Palanio and Duhamel remain in custody.

“We are still asking businesses to move property out of view of criminals, use shutters to reduce visibility, upgrade locks and increase lighting levels to ensure the business is well lit,” adds Roed.

“Together we can stop businesses from being targeted during these unprecedented times.”

Editor’s note: The number of recommended charges has since been corrected by the Vancouver Police and changed to 30.