Police seek tips in theft of U-Haul rental vans

One of five U-Haul vehicles stolen from a rental facility on the Westside has been recovered by police.

On Dec. 31, shortly before 3 p.m., Mounties received a report of a theft of a Ford F-250 U-Haul cube van, taken sometime overnight from outside a rental facility in West Kelowna.

Staff of the rental facility later discovered their key-return drop box had been forcibly removed from the wall, and that keys for as many as five rental vehicles had been taken and the vehicles stolen from the lot.

“A short time after the thefts were reported to police in West Kelowna, Mounties in Kelowna located and recovered one of the stolen rental vehicles unoccupied and undamaged, parked in the area of Harvey Avenue and Chandler Street,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.

A U-Haul van was also reported to have caused significant damage to a Kelowna motel about 6:15 a.m. on Dec. 31.

Witnesses told police they heard a loud bang from inside the Canada’s Best Value Inn, located in the 2600 block of Highway 97 North.

The crash caused significant damage to the overhang. Police believe the suspect vehicle associated to this incident was a six-metre-long UHaul cube van. It was seen leaving the scene on the highway towards Vernon.

The vehicle likely has severe damage to the front upper portion of the van’s box, said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.

Anyone with information about the motel crash is asked to call Const. Frank Gosselin at 250-762-3300.

Anyone with information about the Westside U-Haul thefts is asked to call RCMP at 250-768-2880 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 to remain anonymous.