On the morning of Thursday May 4th, 2023, 1 District – St. Catharines uniform officers from the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) responded to a commercial property in the City of St. Catharines for a report of a stolen golf cart. Photos of the stolen golf cart were disseminated to officers throughout the region as well as photographs of the suspect involved in the theft.
At approximately 2:15pm, the NRPS received a call for service from a citizen who observed the stolen golf cart being driven southbound on the canal path in the City of Welland. A 6 District – Port Colborne officer attended the area of Elm Street in the City of Port Colborne, as the canal trail has several known openings onto the roadway. At approximately 2:30pm, the officer observed a light blue gas-powered golf cart, travelling southbound on the shoulder of Elm Street in the City of Port Colborne.
The officer initiated a U-turn and caught up to the golf cart which had driven into the residential area of Apollo Drive. The driver of the stolen golf cart refused to stop when directed to do so by the officer. The driver pulled over off the roadway at the intersection of Apollo Drive and Meadowlark Drive into a gravel and mud construction area and stopped. The driver then ran into a field nearby. The officer ran after the driver and arrested him. A search of the driver following his arrest found a set of brass knuckles, a butterfly knife, and a bag containing 19.2 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine.
Houston James Boucher (32 yrs.) of St. Catharines has been charged with the Criminal Code offences of:
Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5,000 Unauthorized Possession of Prohibited Weapon (2 Counts) Possession of a Schedule I Substance Fail To Comply with Release Order (2 Counts)
Boucher was held in custody for a video bail hearing to take place on May 5, 2023, at the Robert S. K. Welch Courthouse in St. Catharines.
Anyone who may have information about this incident is asked to contact the investigating officer by calling 950-688-4111, option 3, extension 1023200.
Members of the public who wish to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to persons who contact the program with information which leads to an arrest.
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23-45159/45308