An investigation into an attempted online sale turned robbery has led to the arrest of a North Battleford man, and police are reminding the public to be vigilant when arranging buy and sell exchanges.
Shortly before 1 p.m. on September 25th, the North Battleford RCMP responded to a report of a robbery. The victim had arranged an online sale of property with an unknown male. At the last moment, the suspect changed the location for the exchange to the area of 108th Street and 9th Avenue in North Battleford. When the victim arrived, he was approached by a lone man with a firearm, who stole a cell phone and cash before fleeing.
As a result of continued investigation, on September 29th the North Battleford RCMP detachment and RCMP Gang Task Force arrested Kirklynd Aubichon, 26, at a residence in North Battleford. A search warrant was subsequently executed at a property in North Battleford by members of the General Investigation Unit and Gang Task Force, where evidence in relation to the September 25th robbery was located and seized.
Aubichon is charged with robbery with a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, unauthorized possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, and failure to comply with release conditions.
He was remanded to North Battleford Provincial Court with his first appearance on October 3rd and will be appearing next on October 5th at 9:30 a.m. in Saskatoon Provincial Court.
The RCMP wishes to remind the public to always take steps to ensure their safety when arranging buy/sell exchanges with someone they don’t know.
Some suggestions given in an RCMP media release include:
- checking the other party’s social media profiles for anything that makes you uncomfortable, and do not agree to meet if something seems out of place;
- Always meet in a well lit, public space;
- Complete your transaction during daytime hours;
- Have someone accompany you to the transaction or at the very least – let someone know the details of who you will be meeting, date, time and location of the exchange;
- Agree on transaction details before agreeing to meet;
- Carry a phone with you;
- Limit the amount of personal information you provide;
- Remember: If something is too good to be true – it probably is.