PEI

Friend request: Facebook post leads to recovery of stolen copper

The owner of a Kinkora construction company that lost more than $10,000 worth of copper and fittings in a theft managed to track the stolen good down using social media.

Duffy's Construction owner says more than $10,000 stolen from Charlottetown work site

Robert Duffy of Duffy Construction says it's important to send a message that companies won't put up with copper theft. (Duffy's Construction/Facebook)

The owner of a Kinkora construction company has recovered thousands of dollars worth of stolen copper — with a little help from his Facebook friends.

Robert Duffy of Duffy Construction posted a $2,500 reward on Facebook Thursday after discovering more than $10,000 worth of copper and fittings had gone missing from its storage unit at the Charlottetown watermain project in Winsloe. P.E.I.

More than $10,000 worth of copper tubing and fittings were stolen from a Charlottetown construction site on Wednesday. (CBC)

"What better way to get word out there to people that might have seen it," he said. "It's a very high-traffic area."

The strategy paid off. The post was viewed tens of thousands of times, and shared more than 1,300 times.

What better way to get word out there to people that might have seen it.- Robert Duffy

Duffy said two people called him with leads to a vehicle and a drop-off location. They will split the reward money, he said.

"They didn't know … if it was all of it, but they said it was a large amount," Duffy said.

Charlottetown Police are still investigating.

"A lot of times when you lose that stuff it's gone and it's not coming back," Duffy said. "But you do like to send the message out there that you can't put up with it."

With files from Laura Chapin