An American citizen is no doubt feeling deeply in debt to the Prince George RCMP after members from the detachment tracked down the bulk of $50,000 in U.S. cash that was stolen from his pickup truck while he was staying overnight in the city.
Twelve hours after they were called to Fifth and George downtown on Friday morning, where the man had parked his truck, police had recovered all but $4,850 and had arrested a suspect at a local motel.
Prince George RCMP's Crime Reduction Team was assigned to the case and evidence left at the scene provided a starting point for the investigators, said Prince George RCMP Cpl. Craig Douglass.
A search of the suspect's room uncovered $44,000 and a further $1,150 was found in a garbage bin at the motel.
"All the cash was returned to the victim who was described by officers as being ecstatic," Douglass said. "He stated that the return of the money changed his family's life."
The 44-year-old business owner was in the process of relocating his family from Juneau, Alaska to Idaho when the theft occurred.
The suspect is being held in custody on charges related to a break and enter from earlier in August and an investigation into the stolen greenbacks is continuing.
"This is a good news story that could have easily been a disheartening one," Douglass said. "The outstanding work of our Crime Reduction Team is the reason why an American guest to our community left with a smile on his face instead of an empty wallet."
It's not known why the man had stowed the cash in his truck, which also had an all-terrain vehicle on the back, which Douglass said someone had also tried to steal, and was pulling a U-Haul trailer that was left untouched.
Douglass warned against leaving anything of value in or on a vehicle.
"Thieves will often do whatever it takes to access and steal anything of value including loose change, electronic equipment and all terrain vehicles," Douglass said.
