RCMP grew suspicious when a thief went directly to a cabinet inside Clear View Glass without rifling through anything else in the office.

“It appeared the person probably believed he knew where the money was,” Crown prosecutor Will Burroughs said in provincial court Wednesday.

That fact, along with a tip, led police to Daniel Owings, who worked at the shop off the East Trans Canada Highway in Valleyview.

Owings pleaded guilty Wednesday to break and enter with intent for the incident July 7, 2011.

Prosecutor Will Burrows said Owings opened the gate to the business and used a forklift to smash into the office. It was also notable the forklift was finicky and was most easily started by someone who’d operated it in the past.

Owings has a criminal record. He was sentenced in provincial court by Judge Stephen Harrison to a one-year conditional sentence order, including three months of curfew.

He must also pay Clear View $2,500 to reflect the cost of damage to the premises.

The 33-year-old is an RV and computer technician. He will be allowed to spend part of his sentence in the community at Grande Cache, Alta., to assist a family member.