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 Water truck driver Wayne Boutilier, left, and Pat Rowe stand outside Rowe's garage, the scene of a crime on Nov. 24 or 25. At least one person entered the premises during the -27 C night and left all three bay doors open, causing damage to the two water trucks inside. - Derek Neary/NNSL photo |
Whoever opened the bay doors at Fort Simpson businessman Pat Rowe's garage stands to be fined or jailed. Rowe, himself, is going to pay out of his own pocket. He's offering a reward for information leading to the conviction of the culprit(s).
The crime was committed during the night of Nov. 24-25. Rowe found out in the morning when one of his employees informed him that someone entered the garage and left all three bay doors open. With the mercury having plummeted to -27 C the night before, the two 2,500 gallon water trucks inside froze.
There was damage to lines on the trucks and to hydraulic mechanisms in his garage.
Just malice
"They didn't do anything else. It was just malice," Rowe said.
The transgression cost Rowe money and several hours of thawing out the vehicles the next day. However, he suggested that it also could have proven catastrophic had a fire occurred outside of Fort Simpson proper.
"Both trucks are left full (of water) for one reason only and that's in case of fires at Wild Rose and the industrial subdivision," said Rowe, who is also the village's fire chief. "We don't have (fire) tanker service up there.
On the advice of the police, Rowe isn't disclosing how much of a reward he's willing to pay.
RCMP Const. Brad Parker, the investigating officer, said the culprit(s) face a charge of break and enter with the intent to cause mischief. Even though the door was unlocked, Parker said entering private property without permission constitutes an offence.
