Date: September 29, 2020
File: 20-22267
Alerts through social media help the public and police locate stolen items from recent thefts out of the Nanaimo area.
On Monday September 28, 2020 just before 7:30 p.m. a witness spotted a white truck towing an orange portable sawmill a parking lot in the 4600 block of Elk Lake Drive. The witness had been on social media earlier that day and recalled seeing a post of a similar sawmill being broadcast as stolen from the Ladysmith area the day before.
Patrol officers attended and located the vehicle and driver. It was discovered that not only was the sawmill the same one reported stolen, but the truck pulling the sawmill had also been stolen as part of separate theft incident from Nanaimo over the weekend.
A 34-year-old man from Ladysmith is in police custody facing several charges including the possession of stolen property over $5,000, possession of break-in instruments, possession of a controlled substance, and two counts of driving with a suspended licence.
“The quick sharing of information over social media played an important role in this file and we would like to thank the witness for alerting us. This is another great example of how the police and public work together to help solve crime. Both owners of these items, Wildwood Ecoforest and the Nanaimo River Salmonid Enhancement Project are non-profit organizations and these items were very valuable pieces of equipment.”
Cst. Markus Anastasiades
Public Information and Communications Officer
