Hotel owner Don Chevalier's quick-thinking early Monday is being credited with helping to capture break-and-enter suspects, transforming a walk-in beer cooler into a temporary holding cell.
"I got (woken) up at 5 in the morning – my dad telling me that there was a guy locked in the cooler," said Don's son Jeff Chevalier.
The incident was reported at the Valley Motor Lodge in Minnedosa.
Hotel surveillance video showed four men entered the building through the lobby door, which is always left open for guests. Two of the men left the hotel, while the others went to the beer vendor.
"They walked in the lobby, went into the pool area and got in through our restaurant doors and ended up…looking for beer, I guess," said Chevalier.
His father was sleeping in one of the rooms when he heard a noise and woke up. He confronted two of the men in the vendor.
There was a short shoving match.
One of the suspects tried to run off but took a wrong turn.
"I guess he was all screwed up so he thought the vendor was a door to get out. So he kind of ran in. My dad just shoved him in there and just locked him in," said Chevalier.
RCMP said the other suspect ran off but said "sorry" to the hotel owner on the way out.
Officers interviewed the man detained in the cooler and also arrested two other men in connection with the break-and-enter incident.
RCMP said two of the suspects may be linked to other break-and-enters in the Minnedosa area.
Officers located a fourth suspect, 23-year-old Douglas Daciuk from Brandon, on Dec. 22.
- with a report from CTV's Josh Crabb
