Reports of a break and enter in progress at Valu Plus Foods brought quick response by Keremeos RCMP on July 23.
An RCMP member arrived on scene and eventually arrested five males who had trespassed into a fenced compound behind the grocery store and were caught stealing discarded food products.
The five males were charged with breaking and entering and given a court date.
“There is a message to get out here,” said detachment commander Martin Trudeau. “People can’t do whatever they please, whenever they please, and they must respect private property.”
Trudeau also cited liability issues stemming from trespass, adding that the waste food products that were being targetted had been sprayed with chemicals in order to keep the odours down, making them unfit for human consumption anyway.