Nanaimo RCMP and a heavy construction equipment contractor are looking for a mini excavator stolen from a job site in south Nanaimo.
The theft happened sometime overnight Monday and the theft was discovered by workers when they showed up at the site, where the City of Nanaimo is replacing sewerage and water mains on the Island Highway near the Haliburton Street intersection.
The machine’s owner, Milestone Equipment Contracting, posted news of the theft with photos of the machine on social media.
Kendall Coulthard, company administrative assistant, said the mini excavator was taken sometime between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m., and said she was not aware a such a large piece of equipment ever being stolen from the company.
“I know we’ve had small tools and things stolen, but I don’t think anything as substantial as a large piece of equipment,” Coulthard said.
There will likely be a lot of eyes on the lookout for the machine.
“Honestly, I can’t believe the amount of shares this has got on Facebook. It’s already reached something like 20,000 people,” Coulthard said.
Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said the theft would have had to have been organized between a couple of people with a truck capable of hauling the machine.
“It would need a truck and trailer to take it off the property,” O’Brien said. “We’re looking for video surveillance … It’s fairly organized. They probably had their eye on it.”
The machine is a 2017 John Deere 50G mini excavator, vehicle identification number 262870. The machine is yellow and bears Milestone Equipment Contracting’s logo on its boom arm and engine cover.
Anyone with any information on the machine’s whereabouts or who might have taken it is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP detachment’s non-emergency line at 250-754-2345 and quote case file No. 2020-3467.
For past coverage of unsolved crimes in Nanaimo, click here.
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