CALGARY – A Calgary man whose pickup truck was stolen by someone posing as a buyer found his truck at a campground outside Bragg Creek after tracking the alleged thief online.
Joe Sleiman was selling a 2004 F-250 on Kijiji and Saturday night he met a man at the Road King truck stop who wanted to look at it. The “buyer” asked to take the truck on a test drive, and never came back.
READ MORE: Man posing as buyer steals truck in ‘test drive’ set up through Kijiji
Sleiman posted the theft on social media and that publicity led to the recovery.
He says friends found another ad on Kijiji selling a Chevy pickup with the same phone number as the man who called Sleiman about his Ford. The friends called the number and arranged a meeting in Bragg Creek.
Sleiman says while he was waiting, he saw his pickup drive by, and followed it to a campsite in the McLean Creek Recreation area. He called Cochrane RCMP, but before police arrived, Sleiman says he confronted the man and the alleged thief ran into the woods.
RCMP called in a canine unit but officers weren’t able to find the man.
Cochrane RCMP Sgt. Jeff Campbell says a warrant is being issued for his arrest. Campbell says the suspect is known to police and has a criminal record for other stolen property.
He also says a number of other vehicles, trailers and quads reported stolen were found at the campsite and taken to the police impound lot.
A woman in one of the trailers was also arrested and charged with possession of stolen property.
READ MORE: $6,000 stolen car rims returned by social media sleuths, undercover police
Comments