News Release - Winnipeg Police Service

Tuesday, February 20, 2018   Drugs – Arrest: C18-34011   On February 16, 2018, at approximately 1:20 p.m., officers with the East District Community Support Unit were conducting a Smart Policing Initiative patrol when they attempted to stop a sedan in the area of Watt Street and Sydney Avenue for a Highway Traffic Act violation.   The vehicle attempted to evade police but was successfully stopped on Chalmers Avenue at Watt Street.   An investigation led to the arrest of the driver, the lone occupant, and a number of items were seized including the following:   - Two mobile phones - $225 in Canadian currency - 16 1/4 gram rocks of crack cocaine - A mini-combination safe   Officers later executed a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrant on the safe which resulted in the seizure of:   - 120 1/4 gram rocks of crack cocaine   Justin Peter Karpluk, a 20-year-old male of Winnipeg, has been charged with:   - Possession of a Scheduled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking - Cocaine - Possession of Proceeds of Property Obtained by Crime under $5,000 - Fail to Comply with Probation Order - Fail to Comply Condition Recognizance by Judge/Justice   He was detained in custody.   Firearms & Drugs – Arrest: C18-35954   On February 19, 2018, at approximately 1:30 p.m., officers with the East District General Patrol and Community Support Unit responded to a report of a male that had earlier driven a car into a snowbank off Copeland Street in the Transcona South area.   A passer-by found the vehicle and called 911 for an ambulance after the male stated he was frozen and needed help. The male threatened to shoot the passer-by and tried to reverse the vehicle without success. He then fled on foot.   A short time later, the suspect was taken into custody in the area of Dugald Road and Murdock Road. He was found to have the keys to the vehicle, a .22 calibre cartridge and $2,975 in Canadian Currency.   Officers later located a backpack that had been concealed by snow and contained a collapsible baton and a load revolver-style .22 calibre handgun with a spent round. A loaded .22 calibre semi-automatic rifle was found hidden in an unlocked vehicle that was parked on private property near the car that had gotten stuck.   It was determined that the car had been stolen from a convenience store in the 700 block of Corydon Avenue on February 18, 2018, at approximately 10 p.m. while the driver entered the store and left the vehicle unlocked and running.    Victor Maurice Cobham, a 35-year-old male of Winnipeg, has been charged with:   - Possession of a Weapon (x2) - Carrying Concealed Weapon Prohibited Device or Ammunition (x2) - Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (x2) - Tampering with Serial Number of a Firearm - Careless Use of Firearm, Weapon, Prohibited Device or Ammunition (x4) - Store Firearm or Restricted Weapon Contrary to Regulations (x2) - Possession of a Prohibited or Restricted Firearm with Ammunition - Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm in Motor Vehicle (x2) - Possession of Scheduled Substance - Cocaine - Possession of Property Obtained by Crime over $5,000 - Possession of Property Obtained by Crime under $5,000 - Fraud under $5,000 - Possession of Proceeds of Property Obtained by Crime under $5,000   The fraud charges relate to an incident in October 2017 in which a contract for graphic art work was never fulfilled.   He was detained in custody.   Fraud Warning – Taxation Scam   As previously released, the Winnipeg Police Service continues to receive reports of taxation-related scams.   The fraudsters will email or phone the victim pretending to be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The fraudsters will try to obtain personal information and will then tell you that you have outstanding taxes. They are often very aggressive even going as far as saying that they have the police on the way to the victim's door to arrest them if they do not pay immediately. This causes the victim to become afraid and want to do anything to comply with the fake CRA. The fraudsters also seem to target new Canadians as they are not as familiar with the Canadian tax or justice system.   The fraudster will then suddenly realize how you can immediately pay your outstanding taxes by going to a store and purchasing a prepaid credit or gift card or by going to a money transfer business. Once the fraudster has the details about the card or the transfer the money is gone, often out of Canada, and cannot be recovered.   Tips to remember:   - The Canada Revenue Agency has your identity information and will not use the phone to solicit it.   - The CRA will never ask you to purchase gift cards or to attend a money transfer business.   - If you do receive a phone call, contact the CRA, with a phone number that you look up, to confirm the details.   If you would like to learn more about tax scams or other types of fraud, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre    Protect yourself: never agree to requests for payment without researching the validity of the caller.   For further information contact either: Constable Rob Carver, Public Information Officer Constable Jay Murray, Public Information Officer Constable Tammy Skrabek, Public Information Officer Kelly Dehn, Manager of Public Affairs Phone: (204) 986-3061 | Fax: (204) 986-3267 | Email: WPS-PIO@Winnipeg.ca Share this mailing with your social network by clicking on the appropriate link:       Related Winnipeg Police Service Report a Crime Online Crime Stoppers CrimeStat Unsubscribe If you do not want to receive these emails anymore, unsubscribe. 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