Stolen truck runs out of fuel
by Jon Manchester
Police recovered a stolen truck after the thief ran out of fuel up a forest service road east of Vernon.
The culprit was arrested Friday after the diesel pickup was stolen from a home in Coldstream about 3 a.m.
The noise of the truck starting up awoke the owner, who called police.
Officers responded to the area, but were unsuccessful in stopping the truck, which took off on Highway 6.
The owner advised police the vehicle had very little fuel and probably wouldn’t make it too far before running out of gas, says Vernon RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Tania Finn.
Later that morning, the owner decided to drive up King Edward Forest Service Road in Lavington, to see if the vehicle had been abandoned, and saw the truck parked on the side of the road with a man in the driver’s seat. As not to alert the suspect, the owner drove a safe distance away and alerted police.
With the assistance of Police Dog Services, officers surrounded the vehicle and took the man into custody without incident.
A 40-year-old man from Nakusp is charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000 and possession of break-in instruments. He appeared before a justice and was released from custody on conditions, pending his next court date.