· Global News
Visit tr-sport.bond for more information.
· The Independent
· Toronto Sun
Try That In A Small Town and see how far you get!
These thieves didn’t get too far.
Visit mchezo.life for more information.
As we head into the Victoria Day weekend, the good people in cottage country showed some interlopers from the city exactly what country music star Jason Aldean was talking about in his 2023 hit song. These guys messed with the wrong Canadians.
As a goalie Jesse Grimes, who in the summers has even faced rubber from NHL stars like Bo Horvat and Mitch Marner, is famous for stopping shooters trying to put the puck over his pads and into the next.
So, it was no surprise that he and his amazing staff at the Sobeys location in Gravenhurst worked as a team to make the save of the day – with a lot of help as well from the Ontario Provincial Police.
There’s nowhere more generous, hospitable and friendly than Cottage Country on Victoria Day weekend. Unless you try to steal from them. pic.twitter.com/hcrgonmuWw
— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) May 14, 2026
One thing for sure, these alleged thieves may think twice before ever trying to steal from this grocery store in Gravenhurst again.
“They picked the wrong store,” teased Jesse, 35.
By the end of this crime, with the help of the OPP, all three suspects found themselves in the penalty box. This time the red light was not for scoring a goal but one from the police car pulling them over.
“The Bracebridge Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has charged three people after a theft complaint in Gravenhurst,” a news release by OPP Const. Samantha Bigley said.
All of this happened at 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday when three males allegedly took $3,000 worth of baby formula, “went through the line” and were not paying.
Try that in a small town -- these thieves gave it a shot but it didn't work out so well. Smash and grab looting may work well in the GTA -- but not as well in Cottage Country. News at 11 -- or at least in my new column coming soon. -- https://t.co/Peo4NoXw9F
— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) May 14, 2026
“It all happened so fast,” said Grimes, who explained he was taking his son to hockey when he got a call from one of his managers about what had happened.
“Sobey’s is a great company, and I have a great staff,” said Grimes. “We are trained on what to do.”
They are not supposed to physically stop robbers, but it does mean they were given an open road to escape. One of the staff called 911. Another grabbed a picture of the (allegedly stolen) license plate and of a white van.
“The police were on it very fast,” said Grimes. ‘It was excellent police work.”
Former Toronto cop and crime specialist Ross McLean said this is “old time” policing that many officers still do in police divisions and the smaller centres.
“There is no better deterrent than getting caught and going to jail,” said McLean said.
The OPP said: “An off-duty police officer became aware of the incident” and “police were able to track the vehicle, a white cube van, southbound on Hwy. 11 south, and Orillia OPP officers conducted a traffic stop on Atlantis Drive in Orillia.”
Three suspects were benched.
Police arrested David Ronto, 43, of Scarborough, Karoly Vadasz, 34, of North York, and a 16-year-old North York boy, charging all three with theft under $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime.
The two adults are scheduled to appear in court in Bracebridge on June 23 while the teenager, whose identity is protected under Youth Criminal Justice Act, will appear in Bracebridge Youth Court on July 2.
The charges have not yet been tested in court.
The only part of this collar that sucks is they were all let go. They should have had to sit in the can in one of the many jails up there until their court date.
This is the kind of guy Jesse Grimes is. 100s of truckers were stuck on the highway during a massive snowstorm went out and fed everybody. He’s generous and so are the people of Gravenhurst. Unless you try to steal from them. https://t.co/VQsKNEyWUX
— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) May 14, 2026
The irony of it is that if the accused truly needed baby food or baby formula, Gravenhurst prides itself on its charitable spirit and they would have found a way to get them some.
Just last year, as highlighted on CBC , Grimes and his staff not only put together care packages of food and supplies, for the hundreds of trucks stranded for days on the highways, but they personally went out to deliver them as well.
These are good people. But if you try to steal from them, you are on your own. This is Cottage Country where they will do anything to help you but don’t even think about taking that generous spirit as weakness.
Gravenhurst has seen a trend of the criminal element from the Greater Toronto Area coming up to hit local retail stores and take their illegally gotten goods to be sold into the black market in Canada or abroad.
Sometimes baby formula is also used to cut illegal narcotics.
The bags they allegedly stole didn’t get to their planned location, and the OPP returned them all to the store.
Grimes said it’s difficult for small retail operators to lose $3,000 worth of product in a very competitive business world. He has staff to pay. But this time he managed to beat them.
In fact, of the many OPP press releases on stash-and-dash robberies, most of them end up with at least one arrest eventually.
Grimes credits these three arrests to his fast-thinking employees and the OPP.
“When (the accused) came off the highway, I don’t think they had any idea of what they were getting into,” said Grimes. “They found out.”
They might not want to try it again in this small town any time soon.