Comox Valley residents report theft ring targeting trucks, heavy equipment
Comox, B.C., business owner John Watt has been distracted from his regular duties lately as he tries to replace a truck and thousands of dollars in new ski equipment stolen in late January from Mount Washington.
The pickup was taken when his son parked it during a ski trip. “He parked it at about midnight and at eight o’clock the next morning went to get his ski gear out of it and it was gone,” Watt says.
The pickup was found burned the next morning on a remote Nanaimo-area road. “[They] probably didn’t want fingerprints on the truck," Watt says.
Watt says the pickup was used for his landscaping business and was equipped with an external fuel tank and a snow plow on the front.
He says the investigating RCMP officer told him his truck was one of a handful stolen off the mountain recently.
STOLEN TOOLS
Alpine Services, which does snow removal on the mountain and transports luggage to chalets, had their office full of tools cleaned out a week ago, according to employee Richard Meads.
“Within a period of an hour they had come in and cleaned out the shop – well over $5,000 worth of tools, including Milwaukee impact wrenches, air impact wrenches, high-end torque wrenches, wireless headphones for our transport department,” Meads says.
He says the thieves were also involved in the theft of several catalytic converters from vehicles parked in the same parking lot where their office is located.
Meads says the thefts hit their small operation hard, and he believes the culprits were professionals. Much of the stolen equipment has already been spotted being sold online, he said.
“We found a lot of our stuff on [Facebook Marketplace in] Vancouver within hours," Meads says. "We maybe think that they’re from Vancouver and definitely pros… they know what they’re doing, they’re quick and organized."
STOLEN ITEM BEING SOLD IN KAMLOOPS
Jake Shepherd can relate to seeing his stolen item being resold online. He was forwarded a listing for his Bobcat T-250 track loader.
“It was listed for sale and they had sent this guy a picture," Shepherd says. "He forwarded that picture on to me."
The $35,000 unit was stolen from his Mount Washington facility and was being sold in Kamloops.
“The pickup that towed it was found abandoned near that same area in Kamloops," he says.
Watt believes his landscaping business has lost nearly $300,000 worth of equipment to thieves over the years despite his efforts to keep everything secure.
He cautions members of the public against purchasing items at reduced prices that they should know have been stolen.
He also knows police are doing what they can but would like to see stiffer penalties involved.
“It’s not going to stop until we catch the people and put them in jail and actually leave them in jail, not do the revolving door,” Watt says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Record-breaking N.B. lottery winner kept winning ticket on dresser for nearly a year
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.