The People’s Party of Canada (PPC) candidate for Skeena-Bulkley Valley is out one 2006 Ford Mustang after the car was allegedly stolen from his driveway and crashed into a building Saturday night.
Jody Craven said he was in bed when he was woken up by a call from the RCMP, asking him if he owned a black Ford Mustang.
He did, Craven told them, while getting out of bed and walking over to get a look at his driveway, where he noticed his car was missing.
That was when Craven said the RCMP told him they had located his vehicle — crashed into the side of a house in the Kitimat area.
The aftermath can be seen in a video posted to Facebook, seen below.
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Craven said there were no serious injuries reported.
“I just thank God no one was hurt.”
The Interior News is still trying to determine the precise location of the house that the car crashed into.
“It’s been stressful for sure,” said Craven, discussing the ordeal.
Voicing concerns over what he perceives as an increase in theft in the Kitimat area, Craven also mentioned he is willing to testify in court regarding the incident.
He said he has heard of a number of similar events in the area in past months and does not want other locals to have to go through the stress of being out a vehicle.
“In our town — I can’t speak for the other towns — but our crime rate has been going up, so if this is part of the puzzle or a piece of the solution to make an example of what can happen … I’m happy for my car to be the sacrificial lamb.”
The Kitimat RCMP detachment was able to confirm that the incident occurred, however The Interior News is still waiting for further details from a RCMP media communications spokesperson about specifics pertaining to the incident.
Craven said that he was under the impression that the RCMP charged an individual with theft of a vehicle following the event, however he said he was unsure if any other charges were laid.
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He added that the RCMP is now in the process of determining whether or not the vehicle has a value of over $5,000, which could determine whether a charge of Theft Over $5,000 could be applied in the case.
Craven said he expects that valuation will be over $5,000.
Craven is the Skeena-Bulkley Valley candidate for the PPC, however he said that he does not believe he was targeted due to his candidacy.
He said he was previously using the car for campaigning and in the meantime will rent a vehicle to get around the riding which, at a whopping 327,275 square kilometres, is slightly larger than Poland.
trevor.hewitt@interior-news.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
