Of all the things a thief could steal, a 2016 Oxbo 7420 blueberry harvester should be at the bottom of the list.
But someone decided they just had to have one of these massive beasts. Abbotsford police said that sometime between Sept. 30 and Oct. 5, a thief (or thieves) took one from a property in the 40000 block of North Parallel Road Abbotsford, and you can imagine the getaway.
According to the Abbotsford PD news release, the blueberry harvester was driven off the property after the front gate was removed from its hinges.
The top speed on one of these machines is around 15 kilometres an hour. It’s 23 feet (7.01 metres) long, 10 feet (3.05 metres wide) and about 20 feet tall.
“That’s pretty ballsy!” said one Facebook commenter responding to a post by Blair Neels.
“WHY would they steal something like this? Just to prove they can?” asked another.
This particular blueberry harvester is valued at $270,000, but the odds that the suspects will be able to cash in are low. It’s bigger than some pawn shops and would draw unwanted attention on Craigslist or a 24 hour bidding page.
“If anyone has seen any of these driving around at night or anytime please let me know,” Neels wrote on Facebook. “Shouldn’t be many driving around this time of year.”
Anyone travelling on Highway 1 or Sumas Prairie who may have seen this machinery, or who has CCTV, dashcam video or information about this investigation, is asked to contact the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225.
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