A man accused of sneaking into a Markham residence by using a child to distract the homeowner has been arrested after he allegedly tried a similar modus at another house on Friday afternoon.
York Regional Police (YRP) said the man attended a home near Woodbine and 16th avenues at around 2:45 p.m. and allegedly attempted to use a child as a distraction so he could gain entry.
“However, the complainant was aware of this distraction technique due to public awareness through a media release and contacted police,” YRP said.
The suspect was later located and taken into custody. He has been identified as 23-year-old Ivadar Padure from Oshawa and charged with three counts of break and enter.
Police said no charges were laid against the child as he was under the age of 12. They did not disclose the relationship between the child and the accused.
His arrest came hours after police released a video of what they described as a distraction-style break-and-enter involving the same suspect that occurred on Wednesday at noon in the area of 16th Avenue and Rodick Road, east of Woodbine Avenue.
The video begins with the resident of the home talking to someone at the front door. Police blurred their faces, but according to them, a boy between 10 and 12 years old had knocked on the door and informed the resident that he had kicked a ball over the fence and needed help accessing the backyard to get it back.
As seen in the video, the resident accompanied the boy into the yard to look for the ball.
The footage cuts to a man, believed to be Padure, opening the front door and slipping inside the home. After climbing the stairs to the second floor, he tiptoes, checking every room.
According to police, the man was in a hidden spot and allegedly crept into the home at the same time as the resident was escorting the child into the yard to search for the ball. When they did not find it, the boy left.
At one point in the video, the resident returns to the front of the house while the man is still upstairs.
He waited until the resident had left before sneaking out of the residence.
Police said the man was able to steal cash from a purse.
A third similar incident is also being investigated, police said. It took place on Dec. 6 near McCowan Road and Raymerville Drive, just south of 16th Avenue.
They allege a boy and a girl told the resident of a home that they lost a ball in the backyard.
“The complainant felt it was suspicious and refused to cooperate. The children left, and no ball was found,” police said.
While there was no theft, investigators are trying to determine if it is linked to other incidents.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7541, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS or www.1800222tips.com.
