Barriere RCMP report they are currently investigating multiple thefts which have occurred in the town of Barriere.
On Sunday, March, 19, 2017, at approximately 5:24 a.m. a black and yellow 2005 John Deere 50-D mini-excavator with rubber tracks was stolen from the industrial area in Barriere.
The owner of the excavator is offering a $5000 cash reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen unit (see notice inside on page 3). He also stated the value of a new excavator similar to the one stolen is approximately $90,000.
“The unit was at the property to start a small job on Monday morning,” said the owner, “Unfortunately, the thieves took it off the property on Sunday.”
He does note however that the theft was caught on video surveillance in the area, showing a white pickup with a trailer hauling the unit away although the video quality was poor.
On March 22, a green 2013 Arctic Cat ATV 550 was stolen from a residence in Barriere, with the theft occurring at an unknown time during the evening. A 460 husky rancher chainsaw was stolen that night as well from the same property.
On the same night tools and machinery were stolen from a storage shed near a residence on Webber Road near Little Fort.
Police state they are investigating the thefts but have no concrete leads at this time.
They do however advise area residents to lock up their valuables, tools, equipment and so on wherever possible. Keep larger equipment out of site, and “know your serial numbers”. They also advise getting a photograph of any items that may be tempting for thieves, and most importantly insure the items so you will not be out of pocket if a theft occurs.
In the meantime the owner of the stolen excavator says he is hoping someone will come forward with information to claim the $5000 in cash.
“We haven’t really had anything meaningful called in yet but we are hoping.”
Barriere RCMP say they see no significant increase in thefts within the area, and noted they are in fact seeing a decrease compared to other years.
Anyone with information regarding any of these thefts are asked to call the Barriere RCMP Detachment at 250-672-9918 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
