The wig caught their eye.
Police patrolling an area of White Rock that has a major construction project pending arrested a wanted man, after noticing someone on the site wearing a wig.
Const. Deryk Roberts said officers noticed a suspicious individual around 2:30 p.m. last Friday, around abandoned buildings in the 1500-block of Vidal Street.
They quickly determined the man was wanted on outstanding warrants for breaching previously imposed court conditions.
He "has worn disguises in the past to avoid detection and happened to be wearing one that day," Roberts noted.
He was arrested without incident.
Jamey Ziegler appeared in Surrey Provincial Court on Monday, and is due back in court on July 28.
The site of the arrest – 1501 Vidal St. – is destined for a 12-storey project that was given the green light by city council in November 2013.
Roberts said police have been doing focused patrols to keep on top of squatters and property crime. The latter was described last year by the city's top cop, Staff Sgt. Lesli Roseberry, as White Rock's "nemesis," and she told Peace Arch News Monday it remains an area police are focusing on.
Roberts said property crime tends to spike in warmer weather as more people leave their car and home windows and doors open or unlocked. Friday's arrest, he said, is another reminder for residents and visitors alike to be vigilant around security measures.
Property crime "can happen to anybody," Roberts said.