Off-duty officer arrests man on theft charges

It was an unlucky encounter for a break-in suspect but a fortunate coincidence for South Walkerville residents early Tuesday when an off-duty Windsor police officer happened to notice a crime in progress.

Police said the officer wasn’t working when he was in the vicinity of Lincoln Road near Somme Avenue around 2:15 a.m. That’s when he saw a male acting in a suspicious manner near the door of a residence.

Following his instincts, the offduty officer approached the man, identified himself as a member of Windsor police, and engaged the man in a brief conversation.

As a result of their chat, the officer advised the man that he was under arrest.

The suspect tried to run away, but the officer pursued him and apprehended him.

The officer then contacted Windsor police, and on-duty patrol units were sent to the location.

The suspect was found to be in possession of items believed to be

stolen property — such as a GPS, cologne, and loose change.

Attending officers also discovered that the suspect’s footwear had a pattern matching footprints that had been left throughout the neighbourhood in the freshly fallen snow.

The footprints showed a zigzag pattern between numerous houses.

Further investigation uncovered that the arrest subject was an individual who was previously wanted by police in connection with the use of stolen credit cards in September 2017.

Harley Parent, 36, of Windsor, now faces charges of theft (value under $5,000), possession of stolen property (value under $5,000), fraud, use of a stolen credit card, and trespassing at night.