West Nipissing Ouest – Sturgeon Falls, Verner, St Charles, Field and Area News 
On February 10th, a Verner resident contacted the West Nipissing Police Service to report he was the victim of a fraud. The complainant indicated that his daughter’s laptop had frozen and a contact telephone number had appeared on the screen. The complainant called the telephone number and was advised that assistance would be rendered and that payment could be made by way of I-tune cards. The complainant was assured that his account would be reimbursed once the work was completed. The cards were purchased and the identification codes were in turn provided to the culprit. The complainant is out a large sum of money with no guarantee that his electronic devices haven’t been compromised. Police urge the public to contact a reputable computer technician when devices need fixing and to never pay for work with I-tunes cards.
On February 11th police were advised that a cottage had been burned to the ground. The complainant observed dark black smoke from his residence and when he went to investigate he discovered that a structure on a property situated along highway 539 between Field and River Valley had been completely destroyed. Police have been in contact with the owner and are currently investigating this suspicious fire.
On February12th, a young man and a young woman entered a local business in Sturgeon Falls and the two browsed and examined merchandise in the store. When the two left the store an employee observed that a Bluetooth speaker had been stolen. Police are looking to speak with the couple.
On February 12th a William Street resident contacted the police to report that some of her prescription medication had been stolen. Police are investigating the theft of the pain medication and remind people that taking medication that hasn’t been prescribed to you can cause medical issues and sometimes even death.
On February 12th the West Nipissing Police Service were called to a local gas station and advised that a break and enter had occurred. Police learned that the culprit appears to have forced a door open and once inside went to the cash register and removed money. Police are looking for the public’s assistance in this matter.
Anyone with information about these occurrences is asked to contact the West Nipissing Police Service at 705-753-1234. For those who wish to remain anonymous, there are three ways to contact the Near North Crime Stoppers. Call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), text the word “Nipper” plus the tip information to CRIMES (274637), or submit a tip online at nearnorthcrimestoppers.com.