Elgin County OPP is warning the public that there has been a rash of entries to sheds around the area of Coulter Ave. as well as on Tike Road, Central Elgin which is near the South east end of St.Thomas. The entries took place on May 8th between 4:00am -7:00am.
Police were initially called at 6:58am by a neighbor on Tike Road saying that lawn equipment, including a riding lawn mower, had been left on the road. The complainant’s dog had been barking for at least 15 minutes and possibly spooked the suspects. Items that were strewn across lawns including a Stihl leaf blower, Stihl weed whacker, Simonez power washer. Other than these items being moved, nothing was reported as stolen. No damage was done to the sheds (3 entered in total).
Police were later called at 1:34pm for entries to sheds on Coulter Ave. This is believed to be related to the Tike Road occurrence. Police canvassed the neighbourhood and found 4 sheds entered/damaged (bolt cutters used on some and others pried open). Nothing was taken other than a pair of red work gloves. The suspects also attempted to enter a utility trailer.
Any person with information regarding the person(s) responsible for these entries should immediately contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122 or (519) 631-2920, or their nearest police authority.
Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.