RCMP Air Services helps nab driver who stole truck in Vernon

Photo: CTV News/file photo

RCMP Air Services helped track a stolen vehicle in the North Okanagan, Monday, leading to the arrest of the driver.

Shortly before 2 p.m., Vernon RCMP responded to a report of a vehicle theft on the 3000 block of 29th Avenue.

The owner had stopped briefly at a business, leaving the vehicle running outside.

"It only took seconds before a thief took advantage of this opportunity and drove away in the truck. The owner came out to find the vehicle gone and immediately reported it to police," says Vernon RCMP spokesperson Const. Chris Terleski.

An officer in the area began to track the vehicle as it travelled east on Highway 6, using the owner’s cellphone, which was still inside the stolen truck.

An RCMP Air Services unit was called in and continued to track the vehicle until it came to a stop on a forest service road, where officers from the Nakusp RCMP and North Okanagan Police Dog Services converged on the vehicle and arrested the driver without incident.

Terleski reminds that auto crime is predominately a crime of opportunity: "Don’t tempt thieves. Remove valuables, lock your vehicle, and do not leave it unattended while it’s running."

A 32-year old man remains in custody and is facing a number of potential charges.