Oceanside RCMP found a number of stolen power tools after witnesses reported “something appeared suspicious” in front of a construction area near Morningstar.
On April 9 at 11:40 a.m., a man called the Oceanside RCMP to report that something appeared suspicious in front of a construction area on Lowry’s Road and Roberton Boulevard, according to an RCMP release.
Police attended to find a number of power tools and other items stored under a tarp near the construction site.
There were no reported thefts in the area at the time, Cpl. Jesse Foreman said in a release, so the officer made foot patrols in hopes of finding the owner of the apparently stolen items.
Several witnesses in the area reported seeing a suspicious young man earlier near the stash spot.
“The officer’s foot patrols provided the next clue, when she discovered an open gate at a residence on Osprey Place,” the release reads. “When she inquired with the owner of the home it was quickly discovered that the shed in the backyard had been broken into. Many of the owner’s tools (hand and power) that he had been collecting for years were gone.”
Later on, the “suspicious male” returned to the stash spot to collect his stolen property.
Officers arrested the suspect, and he then led them to the location where he had stashed the remaining tools that were still unaccounted for.
“The homeowner was overjoyed to get all his tools back,” the release noted.
The suspect, a 19-year-old Parksville resident, was held overnight and made his first appearance in Nanaimo Provincial Court on Tuesday, April 10, to face charges of break and entry and theft.
“This is a great example of someone reporting suspicious activity in a timely manner. Had this suspicious activity not been reported to police, chances are, someone might never have seen their prized tools returned,” said Foreman.