It’s perhaps the ultimate Canadian petty crime.
A thief dressed as a hockey goalie is wanted by Russell RCMP after being captured on surveillance video stealing multiple cases of beer.
Cpl. Brett Church said two men, one wearing a goalie mask with a goalie stick and goalie jersey, broke into the Russell C-Store Beer Vendor at around 2:45 a.m. on Aug. 15.
“It’s very bizarre and creative,” Church told CTV News. “We had to watch (the surveillance video) a few times.”
“He was holding a stick like a goalie.”
Church said the two men broke a glass door to get in and stole three cases of beer.
He said RCMP plan on releasing the surveillance video in hopes of catching the masked man and his accomplice.
Russell C-Store manager Jean Betke told CTV News she didn’t watch the surveillance video before turning it over to RCMP.
She later read about the goalie in a police report posted in the town’s newspaper.
“This is wrong what was done,” said Betke. “It was a break and enter, but I had to laugh.”
“I was just visualizing him coming into the store.”
Betke is a billet and hosts players from the area’s Junior ‘A’ hockey team, the Waywayseecappo Wolverines. She expects they’ll enjoy hearing the story.
“I’ll tell my boys (about the break-in) when they come back,” said Betke.
She’s a big hockey fan, but that doesn’t mean she’s willing to let the goalie off the hook.
While she was able to laugh about it this time, Betke said the break-in is still frustrating.
She said the beer vendor typically gets broken into about three times a year. In fact, it was also broken into the night before the goalie showed up.
Two cases of beer were stolen in that incident. She said charges were never laid and hopes the RCMP can identify the mystery goalie.
Church said he’s investigated several break-ins, but never one involving a goalie.
