A man who may be responsible for many of the recent crimes in Steinbach has been arrested because of his love of ketchup.

According to Staff Sergeant Harold Laninga, a Winnipeg resident named John Lemke has been apprehended after two Canada-wide warrants had been issued for his arrest.

Laninga says Lemke has been charged with 75 criminal offenses including numerous cases of fraud, vehicle theft, property theft, and arson, many which occurred here in the southeast.

RCMP discovered roughly $75,000 in stolen items during their investigation.

The Staff Sergeant notes that the way Lemke was finally caught is humorous.

“Its kind of a funny story,” tells Laninga, “he was at a local restaurant and he bought some fries. He then wanted some ketchup so he went next door, to another restaurant and stole ketchup from them. That is ultimately what led to us identifying him through video footage.”

Laninga calls Lemke’s capture a “fortunate breakthrough” for the Steinbach’s General Investigation Section Unit who had been sifting through evidence since early this year. John Lemke has been apprehended by Steinbach RCMP and faces several charges.

“We’re very fortunate to have some very good investigators who sank their teeth into this and pieced it together," he offers. "This was a huge undertaking and they put a lot of effort into this”

According to RCMP, approximately $75,000 worth of stolen property, excluding recovered vehicles, was seized during the investigation.

Laninga says his team followed Lemke's trail of crimes across Mitchell, La Broquerie, and Steinbach itself. “He was essentially a traveling criminal in our area.”

Before he was apprehended, Laninga says Lemke fled the province in a vehicle he had stolen from Steinbach. Local police, working closely with other detachments across the country, were able to determine that he had moved westbound. Lemke allegedly engaged in several other criminal acts as he retreated across the country, which helped police to pinpoint his location.

Laninga notes that Lemke was eventually located by the RCMP in Surrey BC. Steinbach police had him transported back to Manitoba in order to appear in provincial court. Laninga says that Lemke is currently being held in custody.

“It’s a good feeling that we are able to stop at least one person who has caused a lot of problems in our area,” he comments.

Though this specific individual has been caught and is facing charges, Laninga reminds local residents that there are still other crooks out there. He asks everyone to refrain from leaving keys, wallets, or other valuables inside of their vehicles, and to adequately secure all buildings when not in use.