When Dan McClinton arrived at his girlfriend’s home in Alcove, Quebec Nov. 12, he had no idea it was in the process of being robbed.
Nov. 18 front page
The 51-year-old noticed an unfamiliar vehicle in the driveway at 3 p.m., so he stopped to check out the situation. A Dodge Ram truck and trailer with the company name C. Barrette Roofing was sitting in Bridgitte DeBlois’s driveway at 71 River Rd in Alcove. As McClinton approached the vehicle, a medium build female with brunette hair, identified by police as 29-year-old Claudine Barrette of Gracefield, jumped out and began chatting with him about the house, which is for sale.
In a calm and collected state, a francophone, but bilingual Barrette conversed with McClinton for over five minutes, asking him questions about how many bedrooms and bathrooms the house had. She wasn’t fidgeting, sweating or acting in any suspicious manner, according to McClinton.
“She had me there for a good five minutes,” said McClinton.
“That was her role.”
Barrette was indeed playing a role, as half-way through the conversation, her husband, 35-year-old Danny Seguin, strolled around the corner with two armfuls of McClinton’s girlfriend’s belongings. This is when McClinton realized he had been duped.
“By this point, I knew it was a robbery,” he said.
McClinton began yelling at the man, asking him what he was doing, adding a few four-letter words. Seguin dropped the stuff and took off on foot into the bush, leaving his wife behind. McClinton immediately called 9-11 and told them that he had come home to a robbery in progress. The female then jumped into the driver’s seat and began to flee the scene. Not knowing what to do, McClinton asked MRC des Collines Police dispatch if he should block the woman’s vehicle or just let her go. He was advised to let her go and within five minutes, McClinton, who was still on the phone with dispatch heard officers radio in, “We got them.”
The two, who were driving their company vehicle, had been pulled over on McLaren Rd. in Wakefield. Police immediately detained the suspects, but Seguin had a seizure and was sent to the Wakefield hospital and was later released.
Officers searched the pair’s truck and the trailer and found $10,000 worth of money, jewelry, furniture and some major appliances. Police were also able to tie the ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ suspects to another home robbery that had taken place the day before in Val-des-Monts, as a witness had described the same vehicle to police.
When McClinton did a walk around on his girlfriend’s property, he noticed that the thieves had slid open a back door that wasn’t locked. The inside of the house was a mess. All of the cupboard drawers were pulled out, contents strewn about the floor. According to McClinton, the thieves had already made a pile of goods outside the house, which included CDs, DVDs, game machines and jewelry.
According to MRC des Collines Spokesperson Martin Fournel, the Gracefield couple are the owners of the roofing company, but have been having tough financial times as of late. They have been targeting homes for sale or homes under construction, as their company vehicle is legitimate and fits in easily at job sites. It just so happened that McClinton spotted the two at the perfect time.
“The timing was awesome,” said Fournel.
McClinton also feels fortunate that he came home when he did, as another hour or so could have been enough time for the thieves the clean out the home.
Seguin and Barrette appeared in court Nov. 13 on two counts of breaking and entering. The couple was released on condition that they would reappear in court Feb. 10. Seguin is also facing a breech of engagement charge, as he was facing other fraud and threat charges. Seguin has prior convictions of aggravated assault and careless driving. His wife is a first-time offender.
The Surete du Quebec is also investigating the couple, as they are suspects in other Upper Gatineau Valley robberies.
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