Man, 45, facing charges as Cape Breton police investigate vehicle thefts

A Cape Breton man is facing multiple charges related to firearms and stolen vehicles as part of an ongoing police investigation that involves a rural salvage yard and a former elementary school.

Cape Breton Regional Police are remaining tight-lipped about the investigation. For the past several days, police and private security have been guarding Bill Young's Auto-Body Salvage in Little Pond, N.S., and the former elementary school in nearby Florence.

It's not clear how the sites, which are about five kilometres apart in a rural part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, are connected.

In a brief news release, police said while executing search warrants in Little Pond, Florence and North Sydney, they arrested a 45-year-old Little Pond man.

He is charged with 20 counts of improperly having and storing firearms and ammunition, including a .22-calibre rifle, a .50-calibre rifle and a loaded 9-mm handgun.

He's also charged with five counts of stolen property involving two newer pickup trucks, an SUV and two side-by-side ATVs.

Police said the investigation continues in collaboration with auto theft investigators from Montreal-based Équité Association, a national insurance fraud organization.

"Additonal charges are anticipated and details about the totality of the investigation will be released when they are available," police said.

"To maintain the integrity of the investigation, no further information can be shared at this time."

Court documents do not provide many details, but the vehicles allegedly belong to an insurance company, two leasing agencies, a sports dealership in New Brunswick and a private individual, also in New Brunswick.

The documents also show the man spent several days in jail before getting bail, after putting up $160,000 in cash and sureties.

While on bail, he has to live in Florence and is prohibited from going near his home in Little Pond, another nearby property and the salvage yard.

He also cannot go near an autobody shop in Florence or the community's former school.

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