Accused bandit in custody after eight-month, $25K shoplifting spree, police say

Winnipeg police have a man in custody they say is a serial shoplifter who stole thousands of dollars in merchandise from multiple retail stores, targeting some locations repeatedly during a months-long crime spree.

Ryan Joseph Campbell, 40, was arrested Monday in the 300 block of Pacific Avenue, hours after police say he committed his eighth heist at a business on Empress Street since July, part of a series of 19 thefts traced back to March 18.

Authorities say Campbell stole more than $25,000 in merchandise. Just over $5,000 was recovered, mainly through loss prevention officers in incidents where thefts were interrupted.

Campbell hit the same grocery store on Osborne Street four times between March and May, and retail stores on Leila Avenue and Abinojii Mikanah twice each, according to police. He is also accused of thefts at stores on Kenaston Boulevard and Mountain Avenue.

Const. Claude Chancy said many stolen items were “high-ticket” goods that could be resold online, including pressure washers and gas- and electric-powered equipment.

At the Empress Street business, police say Campbell targeted snowblowers, sometimes using Garden Centre exits to flee. On Nov. 25, police say he stole a $3,000 snowblower and returned shortly after for another valued at $1,300.

“It just shows the tenacity of this guy,” Chancy said, noting Campbell is well-known to police.

“He would still come back to the same location and do the exact same thing. In some instances, he was recognized by staff and still tried to steal and make off with these things.”

Court records show Campbell was also arrested on Oct. 21 for failing to appear in court on a drug possession charge and released the following day.

“It goes back to the adage that we do re-arrest the same people over and over again for the same crimes,” Chancy said.

Campbell faces four charges of theft under $5,000 and was the subject of five arrest warrants, including two public-interest warrants due to concerns for community safety. He remains in custody.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.