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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Backyard burglar suspect arrested

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 10/4/2012 12:07 PM

Police have charged a man suspected of being The Backyard Burglar.

The burglar always chose homes where the residents were in the backyard, police said.

The suspect was arrested on Tuesday after a man entered an unlocked front door in the 100 block of Pinecrest Bay while the resident was in the backyard, unaware there was an intruder in the home.

Gregory Francis Courchene is accused of breaking into five homes, stealing cash and credit cards, and using the credit cards at businesses around Winnipeg.

He is charged in connection wiith break-ins from Aug. 30 to Oct. 2 at separate locations: 300 block of Fearn Avenue, 100 block of St. Vital Road, 200 block of Munroe Avenue, 200 block of Linden Avenue and 100 block of Pinecrest Bay.

He remains in custody.

"The Winnipeg Police Service would like to remind members of the public to insure that their homes are secure at all times," said the news release. "In all the above-noted incidents, the residents were home either working or relaxing in their back yards when the break-ins occurred."