RENFREW COUNTY (Pembroke) — On January 22, officers from the Upper Ottawa Valley Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) began investigating after a shoplifting incident was reported by a retail store in downtown Pembroke. Food was found to have been stolen by a person on January 19. A suspect was identified and arrested by police on January 22 and released with a March 2020 court date.
On the morning of January 25, officers responded to an unwanted person at a residence in Laurentian Valley Township. A suspect was arrested and officers recovered a quantity of illegal drugs. The accused was released with a March 2020 court date.
On the evening of January 25, police responded to a shoplifting complaint from a retail store in the 1100 block of Pembroke Street East in Pembroke after an electronic item was stolen. A suspect was identified and arrested by police that same evening.
As a result of investigations into these three incidents, 34 year old Joel David Visutskie of Pembroke has been charged with the following Criminal Code (CC) and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) offences:
- Theft under $5 thousand shoplifting – two counts
- Fail to comply with probation – two counts
- Possession of a schedule I substance – hydromorphone
The accused was held for a bail hearing and remains in custody until their next court appearance on January 29 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Pembroke.
