Kelowna police dog helps nab two suspected ATV thieves

KELOWNA – A RCMP service dog assisted in the arrest of two suspected recreational vehicle thieves early Thursday morning.

Just before 4:00 a.m., a Peck Road homeowner noticed a utility trailer loaded with an all-terrain vehicle was being towed away from the driveway.

Police converged on the area with an officer spotting the suspect vehicle northbound on Old Vernon Road.

Moments later, the truck and trailer jack-knifed on Postill Drive with two sets of footprints in the snow leading from the abandoned vehicle.

The dog, Dex, tracked one of the suspects to a dense, wooded area where a 37-year-old Coldstream man was arrested.

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The second man, a 37-year-old Kelowna resident, was arrested on the perimeter of the containment area as he was trying flee in a taxi.

“Police have determined that the suspects managed to cut or break the lock from the trailer during the theft,” says Cst. Jesse O’Donaghey in a news release. “RCMP recommend that the public consider storing these types of trailers out of sight, use other vehicles to block the trailers in, chain them to a large fixed object, as well as ensure there is ample lighting in the area.”

Christopher Drummond and Chad Cutting are each charged with possessing property obtained by crime and theft over $5000.