Calgary police charge man in two poppy box thefts
Posted Nov 6, 2023 3:10 pm.
Calgary police say charges have been laid after a poppy donation box was stolen from a gas station in the city’s southeast last week.
Around 7 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 30, investigators say a man went into a gas station on Shawville Boulevard SE and approached the till.
He asked the clerk for a package of cigarettes and while the worker was distracted, the suspect grabbed the poppy donation box on the counter and hid it in his jacket.
The man then left the store without buying anything.
Read more: Calgary police searching for poppy box thief
On Saturday, police say a tip from the public led to the identity and the location of the man.
According to investigators, the same man is also believed to be responsible for a second poppy box theft around 2 p.m. the next day at a restaurant on 61 Avenue SE.
Ian Patrick Gibbons, 40, of Calgary, has been charged with two counts of theft under $5,000.
Police say he was also charged with five outstanding warrants for unrelated incident.
Gibbons is set to appear in court on Monday, Nov. 20.
