Sign up for our free daily newsletter
Some of the items from Aron Gratias' Gretzky memorabilia collection that were recovered by police. (submitted photo/RCMP)
Recovered Items

RCMP recover stolen hockey memorabilia

Feb 23, 2023 | 1:30 PM

More than a year after his collection was stolen, a huge fan of NHL star Wayne Gretzky will be getting most of his memorabilia back.

It’s believed the theft occurred sometime between November 2021 and March 2022, but it wasn’t until April 2022 Aron Gratias realized someone stole around $100,000 worth of his Gretzky collectibles from a storage container on a farm near Shellbrook.

On Feb. 18 investigating officers executed a search warrant at home in Shellbrook and were able to recover about three-quarters of Gratias’ collection.

“We began investigating this theft nearly a year ago and given the prevalence of online “buy and sell” sales, we didn’t know for sure if any of the stolen memorabilia items would be recovered,” Staff Sgt. Shannon Haggarty, Shellbrook/Ahtahkakoop RCMP Detachment Commander, said. “This is an excellent example of how investigations take time to complete. It was continued, dedicated efforts on the part of RCMP investigators that resulted in charges laid and ultimately, items recovered from multiple different theft investigations.”

In addition to the Gretzky hockey items, police also found other unrelated items previously reported to police including a snowmobile, trailer and pick-up truck. The owners of that stolen property have all been informed of the recovery.

As a result of the investigation, 41-year-old Derek Herzog was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property obtained by crime over $5,000.

His first court appearance is scheduled for April 4, 2023, in Shellbrook.

Meanwhile, the RCMP are still trying to locate the remaining items from Gratias’ collection.

READ MORE: Local Gretzky fan believes thieves specifically targeted his collection

__

Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow

View Comments