Police are looking for any leads after an iconic piece of southern Cariboo history was stolen on Dec. 19.
At around 11:55 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19 thieves made away with a jade boulder that has stood outside the Cariboo Jade Shop in Cache Creek for many years. It was last seen on a flat-deck trailer being towed by a two-tone grey and blue Dodge pickup truck.
The excavator is orange with a small, wide bucket and was facing backward on the trailer. The jade boulder was in front of the machine, between it and the bucket. The pickup and trailer were last seen headed toward Kamloops on Highway 1.
A small, black Ford SUV was seen with the first vehicle, and might be associated with it.
The one foot thick slab of jade, which weighs 2,850 pounds, was cut from a large boulder found near Dease Lake. The process took more than 200 hours of continuous cutting with diamond field saws.
The Cariboo Jade Shop is a family-run business that was established in 1967. The jade boulder has stood outside it for most of the store’s history, and is a popular spot for visitors to pose for pictures.
Anyone with any information, or who was in the area at the time and has dash-cam video, is asked to contact Ashcroft RCMP at (250) 453-2216. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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