It was the police dog who tagged along behind, for a change, while the handler focused on the tracks left behind by some suspects. They were part of a spontaneous pursuit near the Prince George Airport early Sunday morning after a rural business was broken into.
Crooks forced their way into Penner Heavy Duty Parts and Service, situate in the 3000 block of Magregor Road. A local security company alerted police at about 1:15 a.m.
Investigators soon discovered that a snowmobile and a quad had been stolen. Rather than being loaded into a trailer or truck, however, the suspects drove off on the machines.
"Our head dog unit did the track but it was not a dog that did the tracking," said Prince George RCMP spokesman Gary Godwin. "He [the human member of the unit] also has taken visual tracking courses, of his own accord, and that stood him in very good stead in this incident. The dog usually does most of the work because of that wonderful nose, but every dog member I've ever known is absolutely dedicated to mantracking. That's their passion."
Had the suspects revved off across a snowy field, that would have been a simple pursuit, but these suspects took the two contraband machines down the area roads, including some time on Highway 97 South, before turning onto Holmes Road.
It was cold, it was dark, there were three to four inches of freshly fallen snow, and Sunday was the day a Prince George record was set for snowfall on a February date, although little was falling at the time, to the benefit of the searchers.
"They drove the quad and snowmobile about a kilometre and hid them," said Godwin. "They left a distinctive tread, but there was only ambient light, aided by flashlight and a vehicle following behind the tracker. The main road had been plowed and sanded, but there were still some distinctive markings for the trained eye to pick up. We aren't horse-mounted anymore, but we are trained in the art of mantracking."
The trail brought police to the door of a residence in the 4700 block of Holmes Road. Inside were
a 20-year-old female and three males aged 20, 35 and 41. The two missing machines were also located, along with an unrelated trailer also believed to be stolen. Charges are now pending against the four suspects. All three men had a history of police encounters ranging from mild to significant in criminal severity. The female did not have a strong connection to past criminal activity.
