Police make two arrests, recover stolen medical supplies for Saskatoon boy with rare condition
Camera caught two women brazenly stealing boxes from porch in broad daylight
Thousands of dollars in medical supplies have been recovered and two women are facing charges after a Saskatoon family had $5,100 of bandages for their son stolen from their porch.
The theft, which was captured on video, took place on Tuesday afternoon.
Two women, aged 22 and 23, have been charged with theft over $5,000.
The bandages are for Leo, who is almost two years old. He has epidermolysis bullosa, a rare skin condition that causes his skin to break and blister at even the slightest bit of friction. The bandages are used to keep Leo "fully wrapped," which helps ensure his delicate skin stays safe.
"We just feel thrilled. It's so nice to see that, with everyone coming together, that we were able to get justice for our family and, most importantly, we were able to get Leo's supplies back," said Crystal Leptich, Leo's mom.
Leptich said she hopes her family's story will help people realize that these types of crimes can have a very real effect.
She said she expects the bandages to be returned to her Thursday and it is her understanding they are fully intact.
"This is the exact outcome we had hoped for," she said, adding she's grateful for everyone's help and support over the past few days.
Saskatoon police said Thursday that the suspects were identified and arrested after investigation by the local guns and gangs unit.
Leptich said that while she doesn't know exactly how the two women were identified, she's guessing having a video of the theft viewed more than 80,000 times helped police in their investigation.
"We had a lot of people that were reaching out to us, willing to help, and we just redirected them over to the police," she said.
Yesterday, you might have seen media coverage on the theft of medical supplies. Through investigation by Patrol and the Guns & Gangs Unit, the females were identified and arrested, and the supplies recovered. <br><br>A news release will follow shortly. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yxe?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yxe</a>
—@SaskatoonPoliceKelsie Fraser, a spokesperson with the Saskatoon Police Service, said Wednesday that specific statistics on thefts from porches aren't kept, but that "anecdotally, the risk of having packages stolen off your porch is increasing."
She said this is something people should be concerned about as we move into the holiday shopping season.
One of the two women appeared in Saskatoon Provincial Court on Thursday morning and is set to attend a bail hearing on Friday.
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With files from the Afternoon Edition
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