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Thieves nabbed quickly by Kelowna's lake Mounties

The RCMP boat was launched immediately and quickly arrived at the docks of Okanagan Lake Resort where officers arrested two men
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Two Kelowna men face several potential charges after being arrested for allegedly stealing a boat.

A 28-year-old man and a 49-year-old ma each face potential charges of theft over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime and possession of break-in instruments. One of the men was released from custody and is expected to appear in Court on November 17, 2016. The other man was held in police custody over the weekend.

The West Kelowna RCMP received a report  Aug. 12 at 6:20 a.m. of a theft of a boat, which had been taken sometime over-night, from where it had been moored on Okanagan Lake in the 300 block of Poplar Point Drive in Kelowna. The boat’s owner discovered the theft after finding his personal dingy, which he had left on shore, drifting in the middle of the lake.

"It wasn’t long when the owner spotted his stolen 19 foot Sea Ray, valued at approx. $20,000, still occupied by the suspects," said Const. Jesse O'Donaghey, in a press release.

"The owner maintained a visual of the suspects on his boat from a safe distance and followed them to Lake Okanagan Resort located in the 2700 block of Westside Road."

The Southeast District RCMP boat was launched immediately and quickly arrived at the docks of Okanagan Lake Resort where officers arrested two men, who were believed to be in the process of looting other boats docked in the area.

It was the quick actions of both the boat owner and the crew of RCMP Reservist Constables onboard the Southeast District RCMP boat, that lead to the suspects being taken into police custody without incident, said O’Donaghey.

It was clear to investigators that had these men not been arrested, they would have continued to victimize even more boat owners in the area.