The Canadian Press
WINNIPEG, Canada - A sharp-eyed off-duty Winnipeg police officer may have saved a city-area family from a would-be Christmas grinch.
Police say the officer was in the Rural Municipality of Ritchot, south of Winnipeg, Sunday afternoon when he spotted a suspicious vehicle and followed it to a residence.
He later saw a man emerge from the house with a loaded duffel bag without closing the door behind him.
Winnipeg police spokesman, Sgt. Kelly Dennison, says it’s believed the bag was filled with Christmas presents that had been stolen from the house.
The officer followed the suspect before contacting both city police and the RCMP for assistance.
A 22-year-old man who was taken into custody faces a number of theft-related charges.
Copyright 2007 The Canadian Press