Footprints in snow lead to stolen truck, sleds and three arrests in West Kelowna | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Footprints in snow lead to stolen truck, sleds and three arrests in West Kelowna

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WEST KELOWNA - Staff at a ski club were able to follow fresh tracks in the snow which led them, and police, to thousands of dollars worth of stolen property last weekend.

Three suspects were arrested when West Kelowna RCMP received a report of a break-in from inside a storage shed at a ski club on Glenrosa Road. Two snowmobiles valued at nearly $30,000 were taken, however staff followed fresh tracks in the snow for five kilometres before finding the stolen machines and three suspects.

The suspects fled the area on foot when staff approached them on a forest service road near the club.

When police arrived they found a stolen white Ford F-350 pickup stuck in the snow at the entrance to the road. The truck was stolen Feb. 4 from an address on Rosealee Lane in West Kelowna.

As police investigated the scene, a resident of Glenrosa Road noticed a man on her property and phoned police.

A 34-year-old West Kelowna man was found walking from the scene on Carre Road. A media release says he is known to police and wanted on outstanding warrants. He was also in possession of illegal drugs and on probation.

“One of our Police Service Dogs, PSD Ice, was able to confirm that the first suspects tracks led directly back to the stolen snow machines,” Const. Jesse O’Donaghey says. “A second and third set of tracks in the snow were followed by PSD Ice from the stolen snow mobiles in the opposite direction.”

Several hours later, with the help of the police dog, a 36-year-old West Kelowna man and a 37-year-old West Kelowna woman were found wandering the forested area.

“They were not dressed appropriately for the weather conditions, and police believe they were lost and in need of rescuing,” O’Donaghey says.

The 36-year-old West Kelowna man was prohibited from contact with the 37-year-old West Kelowna woman and was arrested.

All three suspects face potential criminal charges including possession of stolen property over $5,000, theft over $5,000, possession of a controlled substance, possession of break-in instruments as well as breach of a probation order and breach of a an undertaking.

They were taken into custody over the weekend and appeared in court Tuesday morning. 

To contact a reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

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