Watch for vending thieves

Photo: Travel Penticton

Scott Bown, top and bottom left, and Yasmin Mosly, top and bottom right, are suspects in break-ins to vending machines at Penticton businesses, Travel Penticton said.

Travel Penticton is advising local businesses to "be on the alert" for a pair of alleged thieves stealing from Pepsi and Coca Cola vending machines in town.

Executive director Thom Tischik said the thieves recently hit the Days Inn, stealing from vending machines.

"It seems the security team is one step behind them as they (the thieves) work their way up and down the valley," Tischik said.

The suspects, pictured above, are 51-year-old Scott Bown and 35-year-old Yasmin Mosly.

Tischik said Bown is a locksmith and often is seen carrying a bag of tools and has been known to target vending machines, calling him a "career thief." 

He said Mosly guards Bown and makes sure no one is watching, and said she will often cover cameras and distract people nearby.

The pair are usually driving rented vehicles, Tischik added.

Other accommodation partners of Travel Penticton have been robbed, Tischik said, but it's not clear which businesses have been hit nor how much value has been lost.

"Please keep an eye out for these individuals and notify the police immediately should you have any pertinent information," Tischik said.