Man charged in connection with vehicle intrusion
Windsor police believe they have arrested the suspicious man who frightened a pregnant woman and her toddler by entering their parked vehicle last week. Officers of the Windsor police property crimes unit had been investigating the suspect. On Nov. 23, around 4 p.m., they watched him drive a vehicle into a parking lot in the 3100 block of Sandwich Street.
The man went into an apartment building. The officers followed and arrested him without trouble. Police said the vehicle turned out to be stolen. Its licence plates were also stolen, related to a separate theft incident.
Inside the vehicle, officers found items that had been reported stolen in previous thefts from vehicles.
Also found were a number of receipts. Police said these receipts indicate the suspect allegedly made fraudulent transactions using stolen property.
Police further said they believe the suspect is the same man who entered an occupied vehicle in Windsor during the afternoon of Nov. 21.
Vanessa Donais, 24, of Windsor was in the back seat of her mother’s Chevy Equinox in the parking lot of the Edinborough Business Centre.
Donais, who is now eight weeks pregnant, was taking care of her two-year-old daughter when she noticed a strange man walk past the vehicle.
As she watched, the man doubled back, approached the vehicle and entered via the unlocked front passenger door.
The man left when Donais screamed at him. The incident was recorded on the vehicle’s dashboard-mounted camera. Donais shared the video on social media, where it was viewed thousands of times. Among the comments from the public on Facebook was the name of the accused. Told of the suspect’s arrest, Donais said she feels relieved. “That’s awesome,” she said on Monday. “Well, it’s not awesome what happened, but it’s good that they found him.”
Donais said she’s been extra vigilant since the incident in the parking lot.
“I’ve been making sure my doors are locked. My husband is like, ‘Oh, you locked the doors? I just went to the gas station.’ But you can’t be too safe. I just don’t want that happening again.”
Asked if she has any second thoughts about making her experience public, Donais said no. She wanted to warn the community. “No regrets at all. Clearly it helped. I don’t know if he was already being investigated or whatever. But it got it out there, right?” Corey Oickle, 38, of Windsor faces numerous charges. He was taken into custody Friday. Charges include three counts of possession of stolen property (value under $5,000), three counts of theft (value under $5,000), one count of possession of stolen property (value exceeding $5,000), attempted theft of a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle, theft of mail and fraud (value under $5,000).
Oickle had previously been arrested in June 2017 in Bridgewater, N.S. RCMP charged him and an accomplice in relation to auto thefts and thefts from vehicles throughout that province. In total, Oickle faced 12 charges related to incidents in Nova Scotia, including theft, possession of stolen property, assault, uttering threats and breach of recognizance.
Meanwhile, Windsor police remind the public of the importance of locking and securing vehicles, especially in the midst of the holiday shopping season.