South Okanagan

A Summerland man’s recent string of bad luck ended on a positive note Wednesday afternoon.

Ken Marshall was expecting to shell out thousands of dollars to replace a radiator taken from a loader at his gravel pit, when two RCMP officers showed up with the stolen property.

“I was delighted,” he said. “Too often you feel like your taxes go to the wayside, but in this instance I was rewarded. It’s obvious someone cared.”

Marshall’s problems began two months ago when thieves broke into his truck in Maple Ridge and stole everything including his chequebook. Since then someone has written $10,000 worth of cheques out of his account.

He tracked down the person and put an end to the cheque writing.  But as he drove home last week he learned from his brother, a radiator had been stolen from the loader he uses at his Summerland gravel pit.

In all,  the cost of replacing the radiator and renting a new loader would have been between $16,000  and $18,000.  The thieves would have received much less money than what it was worth because hey had taken the radiator for its copper.

In an attempt to get the radiator back he contacted the RCMP, phoned radiator and scrap metal shops, put the word out it was missing throughout the Okanagan and even offered a reward.

Around noon, he learned the officers had returned the radiator, in pieces. It was ready to be sold to a scrap dealer.

For Cst. Kyle Richmond and Const. Andrew Campbell, with the Penticton RCMP community safety team, it was all in the line of duty.

“We received information through confidential sources on its whereabouts and returned it to him,” said Richmond. “Anytime we can return stolen goods it feels good.

“He was extremely happy and it saved him a lot of money.”