— Police hunting for second suspect in area —

OSOYOOS TIMES (June 28, 2006)

By Julie TurnerrnOsoyoos Times

Police have arrested a suspect in a recent spate of truck thefts near Osoyoos.
Officers from the Boundary Regional RCMP detachment, Customs and Excise, Police Dog Services and Air Services arrested a 30-year-old man in the Boundary area on June 23.
The man is an associate of convicted truck thief Michael Edward Ellis and was seen fleeing with Ellis before his arrest Friday. A witness said he saw the suspects steal fuel from the Kettle Valley Golf Club and called police, who located them in a stolen Ford F-350 pick-up truck.
The two fled on foot and a police chase resulted in one suspect's capture. RCMP said several members of the community helped by providing information leading to the arrest.
Osoyoos RCMP Corporal Harold Hallett said multiple truck thefts have occurred recently in the area and he strongly advised owners of Ford F-350 trucks to install immobilizer devices or disconnect their batteries when leaving their vehicles unattended.
Until this person is arrested, any F-350 truck in the South Okanagan, Rock Creek, Midway and Greenwood area is at high risk of being stolen, Hallett said.
The following reports were received over the past week:rn¢ On June 18 at 8 p.m., police received a report of a blue Ford pick-up truck stolen in Midway the previous day. The truck was seen to run over a calf on Mt. Baldy Road north of Highway 3. The incident was a hit-and-run, and the calf was killed. When police arrived at the area the truck was long gone.
¢ An attempted theft of a 1984 F-350 pick-up truck occurred overnight and was reported June 19. The truck had been parked at a local motel, and the owner discovered the door handle broken and the cover torn off the ignition.
¢ Also reported June 19 was the theft overnight of a 1990 flat deck Ford F-350 from a local business in Osoyoos. It was recovered later that day in Oliver.
¢ At 8 a.m. on June 19, a 2003 F-350 was discovered in a ditch in the 10000 block of 81st Street in Osoyoos. It had been reported stolen out of Midway.
¢ A 2001 F-350 Asplundh truck was reported stolen at 6:45 a.m. June 20 from the side of Highway 3 near Chapman Road (Anarchist). It was located two hours later on Mt. Baldy Road near Highway 3. An RCMP dog tracked a scent to a ranch in the area but then lost the track. Police believe the suspect was picked up near the area.
¢ At 8 a.m. on June 20, a 2004 Ford F-550 septic truck was reported stolen overnight from a local business. It was recovered June 23 in the Mount Kobau area.
¢ On June 22 at 11:15 a.m., a 1999 F-350 was reported stolen from a local business north of Osoyoos. Despite having four RCMP vehicles and helicopter search the area within minutes of the report, police were unable to locate it. It was recovered north of Rock Creek on June 23.

* * * At the same time, 32-year-old convicted truck thief Michael Edward Ellis was released from jail June 11. He had been in custody since August 23, 2005 on arrest for theft over $5,000, but police note he was suspected in a number of truck thefts over several months.
Ellis made his first appearance in Grand Forks Provincial Court on August 25, and on February 7, 2006, he was sentenced to six months in jail and two years probation. He had been charged with one count of theft over $5,000 and one count of breach of release.
Since his release, Ellis has failed to report to his probation officer, and police are actively searching for him in relation to the recent truck thefts.