Three people charged in connection with Yarmouth County robbery

YARMOUTH, N.S. – Three people have been arrested and charged in connection with a robbery that involved a 77-year-old victim in Yarmouth County last week.

According to the RCMP, on Sept. 13 the senior from Plymouth, Yarmouth County, was grabbed from behind on his property by two masked individuals who demanded money and then forced him to drive them to another location where they fled on foot.

The RCMP said last Friday they were seeking two suspects, but on Monday, Sept. 17, said they had made three arrests over the past few days.

“That third individual is also charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, so involved but perhaps not directly at the scene,” said Cpl. Jennifer Clarke, about the charges that are now before the court.

The police say their investigation has suggested this was not a random incident.

RCMP officers and specialized units from the Yarmouth Town and Rural Detachments, Meteghan Detachment and Digby Detachment assisted in the arrest of the three suspects, who all made court appearances in Yarmouth Provincial Court on Sept. 17.

Arrested and charged are:

• Craig Andrew Pike, 35, of Yarmouth who was arrested in Yarmouth on Friday, Sept.14, and is facing charges of robbery, break and enter, unlawful confinement, and wearing a disguise while committing an indictable offence. He has been remanded into custody and is due back in provincial court on Oct. 1.

• Tyler John Rawcliffe, 35, of Kemptville, Yarmouth County, was arrested in Digby on Saturday, Sept. 15, and is facing charges of robbery, break and enter, unlawful confinement and wearing a disguise while committing an indictable offence. He has been remanded into custody and is due back in court on Oct. 1.

• Lacey Heidi Pauline Heroux, 23, of Yarmouth, was arrested in Yarmouth on Sunday, Sept. 16, and is facing charges of robbery, break and enter, unlawful confinement, wearing a disguise while committing an indictable offence and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. She has a Sept. 25 return date for plea in provincial court.

The RCMP say their investigation into the incident is ongoing and further charges may be pending.

According to the RCMP, the 77-year-old man was going into a barn on his property when he was grabbed from behind and dragged to his vehicle by two unknown individuals. They demanded cash and then forced the man to drive them to a nearby gravel pit where they took his cell phone and threw his keys away.

The suspects walked away from the pit on foot. The victim found his keys and drove back home and called 911.

The police say the victim sustained a minor injury to his face during the incident.

“It's very disturbing, given what they did to this 77-year-old man, who was no doubt out doing something that he does on a regular basis, going to a barn on his property when all of a sudden he’s basically attacked by two unknown men,” Cpl. Hutchinson said during the early part of the investigation.

The RCMP set up check points on roads leading to and from the Plymouth area on the morning of the incident, which including check points in other nearby communities. The Yarmouth rural and town detachments responded, using a police dog to attempt to locate the suspects, however the dog was not able to pick up any scent.

The Tri-County Regional Education Centre, after being contacted by the RCMP, had put in place a hold and secure at the Plymouth elementary school last Thursday morning. It was lifted before 10 a.m.

The RCMP also appealed to the public for any information that could help in locating the suspects. Asked following the arrests if public information assisted in the investigation, Cpl. Clarke said she couldn’t say if that was the case. “What I can say for sure is we always appreciate the public helping us when we put out information like this,” she said.