A 24-year-old Cold Lake man is facing numerous charges after RCMP linked him to a series of liquor store thefts and robberies in Cold Lake and Bonnyville earlier this month.

According to Cold Lake RCMP, officers from both the Cold Lake and Bonnyville detachments investigated multiple incidents between May 3 and May 19, 2026. Businesses targeted included Liquor Warehouse, Sobey’s Liquor, Nap Liquor, One AM Liquor and Ace Liquor.

Through a coordinated investigation, police identified a single suspect.

On May 20 at approximately 1 a.m., Bonnyville RCMP conducted a traffic stop involving known offenders. During the stop, officers located and arrested the suspect without incident. RCMP say a firearm was also seized from the vehicle during a search following the arrest.

Hayden Nester, 24, of Cold Lake, has been charged with:

• Failing to comply with a release order (11 counts)
• Theft under $5,000 (2 counts)
• Robbery (2 counts)
• Uttering threats
• Possession of a weapon for the purpose of committing a crime
• Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose (2 counts)
• Possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle
• Unauthorized possession of a firearm

Nester was brought before a justice of the peace and remanded into custody. He is scheduled to appear in the Alberta Court of Justice in Bonnyville on June 16, 2026.