Nanaimo - Car thief remanded into custody

Christopher Lesion HELLER faces multiple charges after crashing a stolen vehicle late Tuesday afternoon.

The incident unfolded shortly after 5 pm when the stolen vehicle he was operating , a 1998 Dodge pickup, was spotted near a local store in Cedar, just south of Nanaimo. Members from Ladysmith and Nanaimo Detachments responded but before officers could stop the vehicle from leaving, the driver and female passenger left at a high rate of speed. Members initially attempted to stop it, but due to the time of day and speeds involved, estimated to be 85-100 kph, they correctly decided not to pursue it. Fortunately, one of the attending members was able to identity the driver before he sped off and this description was sent to other units.

The vehicle carried on north bound on Cedar Rd and dangerously sped through a construction site on the Cedar bridge striking a worker in the right leg causing a minor leg injury.

After the accident members responded and found the vehicle abandoned a short distance from the accident site in a ditch near the See Breeze trailer park ,adjacent to Highway 1. Police dog services were called and approximately twenty minutes later, the driver was seen on foot and arrested by officers. He was taken into custody without incident.

Christopher Lesion HELLER age 27 of Nanaimo, well known to local police, was remanded into custody and appeared before a Nanaimo Provincial Court Judge Wednesday. He is formally charged with several counts of Possession of Stolen Property, Dangerous Flight from Police and Driving while Prohibited, all Criminal Code charges. His female passenger fled the accident scene and was not located. Police are currently attempting to identify her.

The accused was remanded into custody and is scheduled to to make his next court appearance on April 14th. Any one with information on this incident or the identity of the female involved is asked to contact the Nanaimo RCMP or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.