Winkler Police have made two arrests after a rash of residential break-ins and bike thefts.

The arrests were the result of a two week investigation after police received complaints of a break and enter into an attached garage on June 8.

With the help of video surveillance officers were able to determine the break-in and theft of the owner's power tools were committed by two suspects, one of which was identified as 28-year-old David Larrance Penner of Winnipeg.

Over the next two days, the Winkler Police Service received several complaints of high-end bicycles being stolen around the community. In each of the thefts, the bicycles had been locked and the suspect had cut the lock in order to commit the theft.

On June 14, 2017, the Morden Police Service located David Penner and a female who was later identified as the second suspect from the break-in surveillance video. Morden Police also determined that David Penner and the female had been operating a 2006 Ford F150 that had been stolen in the Rural Municipality of Macdonald.  Winkler Police Service members attended Morden, recovered the F150, and arrested both suspects.

The subsequent investigation revealed that David Penner and the female suspect had been involved in several recent bicycle thefts in Winkler. In addition to this, a search of the recovered Ford F150 resulted in the seizure of a counterfeit $20 bill as well as a substantial quantity of methamphetamine and methamphetamine trafficking paraphernalia.

Police were unable to recover the stolen bicycles, a combined value of approximately $3000.

David Larrance Penner has been charged with Break, Enter and Commit Theft, Possess Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000, 5 counts of Possess Property Obtained by Crime Under $5000, Possess Counterfeit Money, Possess Methamphetamine for the Purpose of Trafficking, and 3 counts of Breach Probation. David Penner was remanded in custody and is set to appear on Monday, June 19, 2017 in Portage la Prairie.  

A 27-year-old female resident of Winnipeg will be charged with Break, Enter and Commit Theft, Possess Property Obtained by Crime Over $5000, 5 counts of Possess Property Obtained by Crime Under $5000, Possess Counterfeit Money, Possess Methamphetamine for the Purpose of Trafficking, and two counts of Breach Probation.  She was released on a Promise to Appear in Morden Court on July 25, 2017. She has not yet been officially charged and as such, her name will not be released.

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