Kelowna man frustrated with RCMP response after stolen items tracked to homeless camp

Leo Ponchaud was parked on Bertram Street near Bernard Avenue in downtown Kelowna last month when his truck was broken into.

“I discovered my truck here with the window broken and my gear stolen inside,” Ponchaud told Global News.

The passenger side window was shattered and the culprits made off with a toolbox and a backpack filled with expensive backcountry ski equipment, including a specialized tracking device.

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“I got a GPS to live-track my position when I go skiing for my friends,” the Kelowna man said.

Ponchaud said he remotely activated the device to provide clues to the whereabouts of his stolen items.

“That is what I did and I can find a position, the location, the accurate location of it,” he said.

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Ponchaud ultimately tracked the stolen GPS device a homeless encampment along the rail trail.

However, despite reporting the theft and location of the stolen equipment, Ponchaud said police have taken no action.

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“I’m now really frustrated because I did 90 per cent of the job because they (the police) know where the device is, where my stuff is,” Ponchaud said.

In an email to Global News, Kelowna RCMP confirmed it had received a report of the theft on Jan. 7.

RCMP added that “at no time was it suggested that the GPS device could be remotely activated or tracked.”

Ponchaud is upset and says the GPS was discussed in his initial theft report and that police told him to call 9-1-1 as soon as he successfully tracked it.

Ponchaud added that’s exactly what he did later that day, even showing Global News a screenshot of that 9-1-1 call.

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He said he gave the exact location but the police did nothing.

Frustrated, he said he and a friend then went down to tent city.

Knowing the exact location, they identified the tent in question but with a person and two dogs inside, they decided to retreat.

“It’s a minor case so they probably didn’t pay much attention,” Ponchaud said.

With the GPS tracker’s battery now dead, Ponchaud said he is no longer optimistic he will ever get the items back.

“For me, it’s like six to eight weeks of work to buy all of that stuff,” he said. “Someone stole it. I can track it, it’s a pretty easy case.”

Police said the investigation remains active.

“I can confirm that additional avenues for investigation have been identified, the investigation remains open and is being actively followed up by our Crime Reduction Unit,” said Inspector Chris Goebel, acting officer in charge of the Kelowna RCMP.