The owner of a Redwater dealership hit by constant thefts took matters into his own hands to find the thieves – a move police advise against.
David Tingley says his Redwater Dodge dealership has lost around $250,000 worth of property to theft over the past six years.
In previous incidents, he has filed police reports, allegedly to no avail, so Tingley put up a $25,000 fence, surveillance cameras and other measures to protect the property.
“It’s almost comical how often they’re able to come in and steal things without anything happening,” he told CTV News.
“They’ve been stealing from me and nobody’s ever been caught.”
In early July, the dealership’s surveillance camera captured footage that appeared to show two men taking tires from the property. Tingley says the men stole about $15,000 worth of tires and equipment.
Tingley posted the surveillance videos on social media and received multiple messages that directed him to two Redwater men.
“We knew exactly who they were for certain,” Tingley said. “We knew where they lived, so we went to visit them.”
Tingley and a group of his employees found who he believed were the men in the video, and the stolen property, and called RCMP. Police came and arrested the two men, but they do not advise others to do the same.
“It can be dangerous,” Sgt. Ed Bourque said. “That’s what definitely concerns us.”
“We just encourage people to call whenever there’s suspicious activity.”
The two men who were arrested face several theft-related charges. They are out on bail, and are scheduled to appear in court in August.
With files from Bill Fortier
