RCMP find ATV stolen from Winnipeg area in Portage la Prairie garage thanks to location-tracking device
CBC News | Posted: January 10, 2024 6:14 PM | Last Updated: January 10, 2024
RCMP welcome help from citizens' tracking devices, discourage people taking 'law into their own hands'
An ATV stolen from the Winnipeg area last fall was tracked to a garage in Portage la Prairie this month thanks to an AirTag location-tracking device placed on the vehicle by its owner before it disappeared.
The owner originally reported on Nov. 29 that an ATV was missing from their garage near the Perimeter Highway and Provincial Road 330. They shared location co-ordinates with police, but when officers arrived there the ATV was gone, according to an RCMP news release on Wednesday.
Then, on the morning of Jan. 4, Mounties were able to track the stolen ATV to a garage in Portage la Prairie thanks to the owner providing co-ordinates again, Sgt. Paul Manaigre told CBC.
RCMP arrested a 43-year-old man who they say was seen leaving the home and located the ATV inside the garage.
The man is facing charges of possession of property obtained by crime. He was released from custody ahead of a court date expected in March.
Manaigre said cases like these are uncommon where RCMP use location data from a citizen's AirTag to recover stolen property.
"We would encourage anyone to use any technology available that would further safeguard themselves or their property," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
"We don't encourage anyone taking the law into their own hands, but if they were to have information that would assist us in our investigation, we would certainly accept that info."