(UPDATE: July 19 @ 12:45 pm) - A boat stolen from a Kelowna driveway in the middle of the night was found just hours later in Okanagan Lake.
According to police, several members of the public called the Kelowna RCMP on Thursday to report that they had seen the stolen boat and one even got a hold of the boat's owner through "local connections."
Both police and the owner were told that the boat, which was stolen overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, that it was tied to a buoy near Okanagan Centre.
"One caller reported having seen the boat out earlier in the morning with two occupants possibly fishing," explained an RCMP release.
Police went to the scene with the owner on board an RCMP vessel and recovered the boat, which was still tied to the buoy at Okanagan Centre.
Other Mounties found and recovered the trailer that was stolen with the boat at the Lake Country boat launch.
Cpl. Michael Gauthier said this case is a great example of residents coming together to help recover stolen property.
“People recognized the boat from the media stories, phoned it in like we asked and three of our local detachments played a part in recovering both the boat and the trailer," he explained.
"There is some damage to the ignition of the boat and a bit of a mess, however, the owner is very happy.”
The incident remains under investigation and the Kelowna RCMP is urging anyone with information, or relevant video footage, to contact the detachment at 250-762-3300 and quote file number 2024-40578.
(Original story: July 18 @ 3:30 pm) - Just hours after one stolen Kelowna boat was found, another was taken in the dead of night.
Police were called around 9:30 am today by a resident who reported their boat and trailer were stolen from a home in the 300 block of Poplar Point Drive.
According to police, the red 2013 Hewescraft 22’ aluminum boat, which was on its trailer, was taken from the driveway at some point overnight.
Investigators are currently canvassing surveillance footage from the area and are urging any residents who live nearby to check their cameras to see if they caught anything suspicious.
“These two incidents are pretty distant from each other with different circumstances to draw any linkage at this time,” said Cpl. Michael Gauthier.
“In many cases when we see boats stolen on trailers, they’re immediately taken out of town or into the next province to either be sold or stripped. As such, we are asking our surrounding communities to also keep an eye out.”
Anyone with information about the stolen boat and trailer is urged to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 and quote file number 2024-40578.
You can also report tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477.
