On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, Matthew Pete, age 24 of Whitehorse, was arrested related to a series of break and enters that had taken place overnight. Mr. Pete had court appearances related to these offences and other unrelated charges on February 16 and February 18, 2022.
Mr. Pete currently faces the following charges related to these dates:
- Six counts, break and enter at a business, section 348(1)(b) Criminal Code
- Possession of property obtained by crime, section 354(1)(a) Criminal Code
- Possession of break and enter tool, section 351(1) Criminal Code
- Two counts, mischief, section 430(4) Criminal Code
Though the initial news release, shared by Whitehorse RCMP on February 16, 2022, said that police believed more break and enters could be reported through the day, investigators did not receive any further calls linked with this alleged series of offences.
"A crime spree like this can have a significant impact on businesses in the area and our whole community," says Insp. Lindsay Ellis, Whitehorse RCMP Detachment Commander. "All of the police involved, including the Whitehorse Detachment General Duty and General Investigation Section officers, and the Yukon RCMP Forensic Identification Section made this investigation a priority in order to ensure that the suspect was located and evidence could be collected. It was so heartening to see the community come together to support the businesses that were victimized by these offences."
Mr. Pete is also before the courts related to charges of alleged break and enters at businesses from September 2021. He will remain in custody pending a further court appearance on February 23, 2022.