A truck thief was running low on fuel when he was arrested by frontline officers early Friday morning.
The incident began at 3 a.m. on May 22 when a diesel pick-up truck was stolen from a Coldstream home. The sound of the truck starting alerted the sleeping homeowner who contacted police. Frontline officers from the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP immediately attended to the area; however were unsuccessful in stopping the truck that fled on Highway 6. The truck’s owner advised police the vehicle had very little fuel and probably wouldn’t make it too far before running out of gas. Police conducted numerous patrols but were unable to locate the vehicle.
The truck owner decided to drive up King Edward Forest Service Road at 10:30 a.m. to see if the vehicle had been abandoned and saw the truck parked on the side of the road with a man sitting in the driver’s seat. As to not alert the suspect, the truck owner repositioned to a safe distance and contacted police.
“With the assistance of our Police Dog Services, frontline officers surrounded the vehicle,” said Cpl. Tania Finn, media relations officer for the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP. “One man was taken into custody without incident.”
A 40-year-old man from Nakusp is charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000 and possession of break-in instruments. He appeared before a justice and was released from custody on 11 conditions pending his next court date.’
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