Shortly before 5:00 p.m. on January 9, 2020, the Fredericton Police Force Street Crime Team, with the support of the K-9 Team and Patrols, arrested a violent repeat offender off Main Street on Fredericton’s Northside.

31-year old Catlin William Morehouse of Fredericton now faces numerous indictable charges, including Break & Enter, Motor Vehicle Theft, Assault Causing Bodily Harm, Breaches, and two Warrants of Arrest.

Police had received reports of a number of break and enters in the Nashwaaksis area. Following an initial investigation, K-9 Brutus and Cst. Yerxa were able to track to a residence where the suspect was residing and a stolen vehicle was recovered. After 48 hours of intensive investigation by Street Crimes, on January 9, officers descended on an address off Main Street, where Mr. Morehouse was believed to be hiding. Officers searched the residence and a short time later, K-9 Brutus found the subject, who was hiding inside a hollow box-spring mattress. Morehouse was arrested without incident.

Thousands of dollars in property have been recovered by investigators, including items such as sporting equipment and tools that will be returned to their owners. We believe that more than 10 files will be solved with the recovery of these stolen items. Mr. Morehouse is also found to have been the suspect in an intimate partner violence assault, which left a female with multiple injuries.

Investigation is ongoing.

“The success of this file can be attributed to the great investigation done by the Street Crime Team and K-9 Brutus’ excellent tracking skills. Significant time and resources were in place on getting this violent offender off the street, to avoid further crimes being committed. The fact that a child was also implicated provided important incentive to the officers to bring Mr. Morehouse to justice, and we are all thankful that was done safely and swiftly, with the valued support of Patrols”. – Chief Roger Brown

The Street Crime Team was put in place following an organizational restructuring of the Fredericton Police Force in the Fall of 2019. A significant focus has been placed on drugs, organized crime and street crime in response to the changes in the types and frequency of crimes that occur. Criminal investigations are becoming more frequent and more complex, and adequate resources have now been deployed to address some of the priority issues around public safety in Fredericton.