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(KIM ANDERSON / iNFOnews.ca)

A 37-year-old Edmonton man, suspected of breaking into at least one Kelowna home, was caught by an off-duty cop.

An elderly Rutland resident's home was broken into, Sept. 6, when a suspect smashed a side window, then rummaged through drawers in the house.

Kelowna RCMP were called to the house on the 1000-block of Aldon Road around 1 p.m. that day, according to a news release.

The victim was gone from the house for only about two hours, returning to find cash and heirloom jewelry were stolen.

Images of the suspect circulated on social media and news outlets helping police identify the suspect, RCMP said.

The next day, the same suspect was prowling another yard in the same neighbourhood, but was noticed by an off-duty police officer.

Police said the suspect even tried to change his appearance but the same "distinctive" shoes helped identify him, police said.

The off-duty officer knew his neighbour wasn't home, so he called to ensure no one was supposed to come by. He then confronted the suspect, who couldn't explain why he was in the neighbourhood.

The RCMP's Proactive Enforcement Team worked with the off-duty officer to confirm it was the same suspect from the Sept. 6 break-in, later arriving to arrest him.

"This is a prime example of neighbours taking care of neighbours. Working together as a community looking out for one another increases a sense of security, safety and assists the police in doing their job," Kelowna RCMP spokesperson Const. Mike Della-Paolera said in the release.

Dustin Randall Logan, 37, is in custody and scheduled for a bail hearing Thursday afternoon.

He's facing a charge for breaking and entering on Sept. 6 and another for possession of stolen property the next day, RCMP said. He was found to be carrying stolen property from the elderly resident's home once he was arrested.

Court records show this is his first offence in B.C., but RCMP said he has more than 20 criminal convictions in Alberta from 2006 to 2022.

"This is the tenth arrest of a priority property offenders in the last 10 days by the Kelowna RCMP Regional Detachment. Of the ten arrests, four individuals were held in custody, two were released by the police on undertakings and four were released by the courts," Della-Paolera said.

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