Sarnia police and Canadian border investigators are still trying to identify two unknown men arrested this week after a city homeowner allegedly was asked to pay for eavestrough work that wasn’t done.
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Sarnia police have said the men, arrested after a complaint from a Franklin Avenue homeowner. produced identification from another country. Deputy Chief Ron Hansen said Thursday the men were carrying UK passports.
“We had some initial questions about the validity of the documents. We’re still working with the (Canada Border Services Agency) to see if they are in fact legitimate documents,” he said. “We don’t know yet.”
The pair has been in custody since their arrest Monday in north Sarnia.
“They won’t be released until such time as we can 100 per cent verify their identity,” he said, adding border officials also could put a hold on them or order them out of the country.
Police are working with border officials to find out when and how the two men, who have accents, first arrived in Canada, Hansen added. They were allegedly operating Monday out of a vehicle they acquired in the Hamilton area.
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“We’re confident that along the way, they hit other communities,” Hansen said.
Earlier this week, the homeowner was told the eavestrough cleaning was done and further repairs were needed, police said, but investigators say the homeowner realized no work had been done and called police.
Two people were arrested a short distance from the scene, said police, adding their investigation led them to previous incidents in other communities.
Eavestrough cleaning and repair, driveway resealing and chimney repair scams are common across the region, Hansen said. He endorsed the public about people coming door to door with services they didn’t ask for.
“If it’s unsolicited, maybe think twice about it,” he said. “Or get other advice or other quotes.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Sarnia police Det.-Const. Erik Ostenfeldt at (519) 344-8861, ext. 6254.
With files from Patrick Maloney
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