Suspected auto thief nabbed

It took two police forces, a helicopter and a police dog to track down a suspected auto thief Wednesday morning.

Kelowna RCMP responded to a report of a vehicle theft in the 200 block of Ponto Road in Rutland at 9:26 a.m.

The grey Ford Crown Victoria had been left idling momentarily in the owner’s driveway while the owner went inside his house for an item, when the suspect climbed inside and drove away, said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.

Officers arrived in the area and spotted the stolen vehicle minutes later, as the driver allegedly disobeyed traffic control devices and fled the area “in a dangerous manner at a high rate of speed,” said O’Donaghey.

Officers did not pursue the vehicle because of an apparent risk to the public.

A plainclothes Southeast District RCMP officer in an unmarked police vehicle spotted the Crown Victoria on Highway 97 south of the airport and monitored its movements from a distance.

The suspect eventually abandoned the stolen car in a residential area north of Ellison Lake.

RCMP officers from Kelowna and Lake Country, along with an RCMP helicopter, set up a containment area while waiting for the arrival of the police dog team.

An officer and a police dog tracked down the suspect, who was found hiding inside a plastic storage bin.

Police identified the suspect and determined he was wanted on unrelated outstanding warrants for his arrest.

The suspect, a 17-year-old Kelowna teen, faces additional potential charges.

He was held in police custody and was expected to appear in court on Thursday.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact RCMP at 250-762-3300.