Almost $200,000 of cash and jewelry stolen from a home in West Vancouver’s British Properties has been recovered after an image of the suspect was caught on surveillance video.
Police say the investigation started after a home in the 500 block of Southborough Drive was broken into Nov. 6 while the residents were away on vacation.
The home had been ransacked, according to police, and cash and jewelry worth $198,000 had been stolen.
The thief did leave one calling card, however – an image captured on the home’s video surveillance system. That led investigators to identify a suspect, who lives in Port Coquitlam.
On Nov. 20, police officers from both the West Vancouver Police Department and the Coquitlam RCMP showed up at the suspect’s home with a search warrant. There they found a large stash of stolen property, including items stolen from the West Vancouver break-in, as well as over $93,000 in cash.
“One of the items seized by police appears to be a ledger of addresses targeted by the suspect,” said Corp. Michael McLaughlin with Coquitlam RCMP. “There has been so much stolen property recovered that we’re still in the process of finding the proper owners.”
The homes on the target list are located in different areas of Metro Vancouver, said McLaughlin, including the North Shore.
McLaughlin said police are in the process of linking items seized in the raid with at least five more break-and-enters in Coquitlam.
So far, none of the other property seized appears to be linked to West Vancouver break-ins, said Const. Kevin Goodmurphy of the West Vancouver police.
The suspect, 52-year-old Michael Rudolph Horyn of Port Coquitlam, was arrested at the time of the search and has been charged with break and enter and possession of stolen property.
Horyn has been remanded in custody since his arrest. His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 13 in North Vancouver.
