Mission RCMP officers got their man last week - actually several car thieves, in four separate instances during a busy two-day period.

The first matter came up on Sept. 4 at about 1 p.m., when a patrol officer spotted a 1993 Dodge Spirit that had been reported stolen from Maple Ridge a few days prior, said Const. T. Todd.

The officer saw the vehicle at Seventh and Cedar but lost sight of it, so other patrol units were called in, including the RCMP's Air Two helicopter. Within the hour, Air Two crew members located the Dodge.

The chopper and the ground units closed in on it and officers arrested two people in the car on Parr Street without incident.

John Knox, a 33-year-old Maple Ridge man, wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for a parole violation, now also faces charges of driving while prohibited and possession of stolen property.

The female passenger, 22, faces charges including possession of stolen property.

The second incident came just after midnight on Sept. 5, when an alert citizen noted a suspicious man inside a vehicle near a Cedar Valley Connector residential complex and called the RCMP .

Several officers and a police dog team went to the area, where the police dog was able to track down the suspect.

A 21-year-old Mission man was arrested and charged with theft and possession of stolen property.

"A lot of credit goes to the

witness. It was a good old case of someone watching out for his community," said Todd.

Later that morning at about 3 a.m., a Mountie on patrol on 12th Avenue spotted a 2009 Nissan Versa that had been reported stolen the afternoon before from the Mission Leisure Centre.

The officer pulled in behind the Nissan as it was parked, but the driver took off, leaving behind a 22-year-old female passenger and "lots of stolen mail" in the car, said Todd.

The keys to the vehicle had apparently been stolen from a locker at the leisure centre. The mail had apparently been stolen in the 12 hours after the car theft, said Todd.

The female suspect, who is known to police, is charged with possession of stolen property and may face several other charges involved with mail theft, said Todd.

The male suspect remained at large at last report.

Then at 3: 30 a.m. on Sept. 5, the police dog unit spotted a 1998 Nissan Sentra that seemed out of place in the empty lot outside of the Chances Casino on Horne Street and pulled it over.

A man, 37, and a woman, 30, both Mission residents and known to police, were arrested.

They face charges of stolen property and have been released on promises to appear.

"We don't have many stolen vehicles here . . . The officers really earned their stripes that night," said Todd.

In all instances, the stolen vehicles were checked by the Insurance Corporation of B.C. staff and returned to the owners, Todd said.

CToth@abbotsfordtimes.com