Nanaimo RCMP are looking for a yellow, 20-ton wood splitter which was stolen from a nursery on Hammond Bay Rd. (Nanaimo RCMP/NanaimoNewsNOW illustration)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

STOLEN SPLITTER

Nanaimo RCMP arrest man in connection with stolen truck, wood splitter

Feb 4, 2021 | 4:40 PM

NANAIMO — Police have a man in custody after an early morning robbery of a local nursery.

RCMP said thieves climbed the fence at Green Thumb Nursery on Hammond Bay Rd. around 4:40 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4.. They scavenged for vehicle keys and found a match for a late 1980s burgundy Ford Ranger truck.

Cst. Gary O’Brien said the thieves repurposed the truck into a getaway vehicle and a way to steal a 20-ton wood splitter.

“This truck has no insurance, the engine is basically shot, it had no plates on it but it’s enough to get going.”

The vehicle was used exclusively for work in the nursery and was notably decorated with at least 50 stickers on the rear window.

rising costs

RDN taxpayers want relief as board grapples with budget

1h ago

new mayor

Spring Mayoral by-election called in Ladysmith

14h ago

holiday check stops

Nanaimo motorists shine during province-wide crackdown

17h ago

O’Brien said the vehicle was recovered a few hours later on Nanaimo Lakes Rd., near South Forks Rd. and one man was arrested.

He remains in police custody facing charges of possession of stolen property.

The splitter was not with the truck. O’Brien said it would be a high-value item on social media or the black market. The splitter retails for around $1,500.

“(It’s) very common, people in rural properties often use them for cutting up wood and there would be a lot of offers on that.”

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @NanaimoNewsNOW