Kevin gets his man

Photo: Kevin Barkhouse

A Vernon man took the law into his own hands Monday morning when he spotted a thief wearing his stolen coat, eventually wrestling the suspect to the ground and then snapping a photo for posterity.

Kevin Barkhouse had his vehicle broken into outside his house on L&A Road sometime Sunday night, with a number of items taken including a wallet.

Barkhouse and his brother were on their way to check out local pawn shops in the downtown area around 10:30 a.m. when he saw a familiar object on someone else's back.

“I saw a guy on a pay phone who looked like he was wearing my coat. I went over to him and realized that yes, it was my coat,” Barkhouse said, adding that he then told the man to empty his bag.

A few items came out but not all so Barkhouse reached in and pulled out his own stolen wallet. His identification was there but all the cash was gone.

“And he used my Visa and spent $400 to $450. I don't know why that (card) wasn't frozen because the money was spent at two, three and four in the morning at times when I would never use it,” Barkhouse said.

To stop the alleged thief from fleeing the scene, Barkhouse got him on the ground while his brother ran to a store to call the police. That's when he took the picture.

“I felt a selfie needed to be taken,” Barkhouse stated. He then posted it on Facebook.

Upon their arrival, police officers arrested the suspect and took away the evidence.

It's not the first time Barkhouse has spotted thieves who had made off with his property.

About three months ago, his licence plates were stolen. The next day he saw a cube van with those plates on and followed the vehicle until police could make an arrest.

“I work hard for my belongings. I have kids and a wife and if we allow people to steal our things it just sets us back further and further.”