Man, 36, charged with breaking into homes while people slept

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This article was published 09/05/2023 (1251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man has been charged with breaking into Winnipeg homes, including when residents were asleep in bed, stealing purses and wallets and racking up thousands of dollars in fraudulent transactions.

Winnipeg police said Tuesday a 36-year-old man had been charged with numerous offences, including six counts of break and enter to commit theft and five counts of fraudulent use of credit cards.

The man was detained in custody.

Police spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said the incidents show the importance of keeping your residence secure day or night.

“I can’t specify how many occasions, but residents and individuals who were directly involved were present (when the break in occurred),” Michalyshen said.

“They were quite shaken up by it.”

Michalyshen said residents should be especially cautious during warm days when they might be in the backyard, but their front door has been left unlocked.

“You would be amazed how fast someone can go in and be out of there,” he said.

“People should just slow down and secure their property and our home. There’s a good chance we can prevent a lot of this.”

Police said the break-ins took place from March 5 to April 27, at 10 homes on various streets, including Spruce Street, Valour Road and Sovereign Cove.

Property, including bank and credit cards inside, were stolen, with fraudulent transactions totalling more than $5,000.

Officers arrested Nelson Amiral Ferreira after getting a warrant to enter a residence in the 600 block of Home Street on May 1.

— Staff