Stolen property recovered from Ponoka residence

PONOKA -- A joint RCMP investigation split between Ponoka and Wetaskiwin County has led to a pair of arrests.

The arrests stemmed from an incident in early August, when 46-year-old Ponoka resident Lauren Curtis and 34-year-old Lacombe County resident Andrew Renaud broke into a company trailer in the community of Malmo in Wetaskiwin County. During the theft, police say that the two suspects stole approximately $60,000 worth of tools.

According to RCMP, one of the tools contained an apple air tag, which led police to a residence in Ponoka. This was the same residence that had been the subject of a drug trafficking investigation that took place in late July. Following a search by various police units, the stolen tools were recovered, and both Curtis and Renaud were arrested and charged with possession of stolen property over $5000.

For Curtis, this was her second arrest in the past month, following the aforementioned drug trafficking investigation conducted by police in July. In that case, the 46-year-old was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking a controlled substance, and possession of property obtained by crime under $5000. She's now set to appear in court on August 22nd to face both her recent and previous charges.