Castlegar man arrested and detained following multiple property offences
By BC RCMP
On December 16, 2025, the Castlegar RCMP received a report of a break and enter at a business located in the 1000 block of Columbia Avenue in Castlegar. An employee arrived for work and discovered the business had been broken into and property was missing. Castlegar RCMP investigated and identified a known local resident as a suspect responsible for the break and enter and theft.
On December 19, 2025, officers located the suspect and he was arrested. He was later released from police custody on bail conditions and was scheduled to appear in Castlegar Provincial Court at a later date.
On January 3, 2026, while following up on an investigation in the 1900 block of Columbia Avenue, Castlegar RCMP were advised of a theft from a motor vehicle that had occurred the previous summer on June 25, 2025. The victim reported their vehicle had been entered and tools and a portable speaker were stolen. The theft had not been reported at the time. However, after believing they had identified the suspect, the victim reported the incident to police.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the June 25, 2025 theft and identified what is believed to be the same male involved in the December 16, 2025 break and enter. On January 13, 2026, the suspect was located and arrested in relation to the theft from vehicle. He was released from police custody on bail conditions, which included a condition not to attend the property where the theft from vehicle occurred.
On January 14, 2026, Castlegar RCMP received a report that the suspect had returned to the same property in the 1900 block of Columbia Avenue. He was observed attempting to enter a business and trying door handles on parked vehicles. Police attended and later located the suspect, arresting him for breaching his bail conditions.
A 46-year-old Castlegar resident, Erik Larsen, has been charged with break and enter with intent to commit an indictable offence, theft under $5,000, and failing to comply with a condition of an undertaking. Mr. Larsen appeared before Provincial Court and was detained, which means he will remain in custody until these matters are concluded.
Castlegar RCMP continue their investigation and ask anyone with information to contact police at 250-365-7721.
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