Nanaimo RCMP say a 31-year-old man has been arrested in connection with copper wire theft from light fixtures City of Nanaimo multi-purpose playing fields.
The arrest and the recovery of the wire happened at around 11 a.m. on Oct. 1.
Police said sometime between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Sept. 30, 300 to 500 feet (91 to 152 metres) of copper wire was stolen from light fixtures at the fields, run by the City of Nanaimo.
The estimated cost to repair and replace the stolen wiring was around $20,000, police said on Thursday.
Police were alerted to the theft by City of Nanaimo employees.
Nanaimo RCMP said information was provided police, which led them to one of the red barns located on the grounds of the Beban Park Recreation Centre.
When officers arrived at the barn, the suspect was allegedly in the process of stripping the plastic coating from the stolen wire. Police also found an E-bike at same location, which was reported stolen on September 6, 2020 from outside Woodgrove Centre.
The man was arrested on two counts of possession of stolen property and one count of breach of an existing Undertaking.
Police said he was released from custody on an undertaking with his first court appearance set for December 1, 2020, in Nanaimo Provincial Court. His name was not released by police.
“City of Nanaimo officials assessed the stolen wire and were pleased to discover that most of it was reusable and could be reinstalled. They expect the lights to be up and running in the next couple of days, “Const. Gary O’Brien, media relations officer with the Nanaimo RCMP said in a statement.
The fields are expected to be closed for nighttime use while the damage is repaired.
CHEK News
