Airbnb Guests Charged After $250k in Jewelry Stolen From Southern Ontario Host

A Durham Regional Police officer's logo emblem is shown at a Bowmanville, Ont. shopping centre parking lot on Feb. 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives

Four people are facing multiple charges after more than $250,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from an Airbnb property located an hour east of Toronto.

Durham Regional Police officers responded at noon to an Oct. 11 report of theft at a property located near Cove Road and West Beach Road in Bowmanville, police said in a press release.

Three men and one woman rented the residence for the night on Oct. 10, police said. The owner returned in the morning to discover jewelry worth more than $250,000 was missing.

“Police searched the area and located the suspects, who were all taken into custody without incident,” police said. “The jewelry was located in the possession of the suspects.”

Charged in connection with the jewelry theft were 35-year-old Nicole Bobbi Herdsman of no fixed address, 37-year-old Roderick Richard Ayre of Oshawa, and Clarington residents Marc Dominique Nicholas, 41 and John Weir, 38.

All four suspects were charged with possession of property obtained by crime and theft over $5,000.

Herdsman and Weir were also charged with possession of cocaine. Both suspects, together with Nicholas, were granted release on an undertaking while Ayre was held for a bail hearing, police said.

Police have issued a public appeal for information about the jewelry theft and are encouraging anyone with knowledge of the alleged crime to contact them or Crime Stoppers.

Drug Trafficking Arrest

Durham Police have arrested two men on drug trafficking charges after a weekend altercation in Oshawa.

Officers responded to the area of Simcoe Street South and John Street at approximately 10:25 p.m. on Oct. 13 after a 911 call was placed.

A witness saw two men following a lone male, police said. When an altercation broke out, the witness called police.

“When officers arrived on scene, they quickly located the involved parties and found the two males to be in possession of drugs and weapons,” police alleged in a press release.

Officers seized cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine along with several weapons. Officers confiscated a collapsible baton, a conducted energy weapon (also known as a taser), and multiple knives.

Omari Anderson, 25, of York and 28-year-old Steven MacCarthy of Oshawa have both been charged in connection with the incident.

Anderson faces four weapon-related charges, three drug trafficking charges, and one failure to comply with a release order charge. MacCarthy is facing five charges related to weapons, two drug trafficking charges, and one breach of probation charge.

Both men were held for bail hearings.