Chatham

CK police briefs - Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Man accused of driving drunk while picking up impounded vehicle

A 24-year-old Chatham man is in trouble with police again after he allegedly backed into a Chatham-Kent police cruiser while he was retrieving his vehicle from a local impound lot Tuesday afternoon.

Police said the man's vehicle had been taken to there late last month after he was arrested on a separate occasion for impaired driving.

Officers suspected the man had been drinking alcohol after the collision in the impound lot, so they took him back to police headquarters for breath tests.

Those tests showed that his blood alcohol concentration was more than double the legal limit, so he was charged with impaired driving for a second time.

He was later released with a future court date.

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Lawn maintenance equipment stolen during break-in

Chatham-Kent police are investigating after someone forced their way into a storage shed in Wallaceburg and took off with a green Weed Eater leaf blower and a green Weed Eater weed wacker.

Police said the break-in took place sometime between Monday and Tuesday this week.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Constable Steven Gagnon at 519-436-6600 extension #107339 or steveng@chatham-kent.ca.

Anonymous callers may call Crime Shoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) and may be eligible for a cash reward.

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Phone scam almost dupes man out of $20K

Chatham-Kent police are warning the public to be wary of "phone spoofing" -- especially after a recent incident that almost cost a man $20,000.

Police said the complainant had received a call on his cell phone that showed up on caller ID as a Chatham-Kent Police Service number, but was actually from a scammer.

Investigators said the man was told that his Social Insurance Number had been compromised and that the police were seizing all of his bank accounts and credit cards.

The man was then told to withdraw $20,000 and deposit it to a protected Bitcoin account.

Police said the man did withdraw the money, but -- fortunately for him -- he decided to take it directly to the police station instead.

While the man was at the police station, he received another call from the same number, so an officer answered it and told the scammer they were speaking with Chatham-Kent police. The call was immediately disconnected.

As a result of the incident, police are reminding the public not to withdraw money, e-transfer, money transfer, or purchase gift cards for any reason until you have verified that the call is legitimate by calling the appropriate agency directly via a different phone number than the one that shows up with a false caller ID.

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