Nichol went immediately to police and reported it stolen.

Police had received three complaints throughout the morning about a red Honda driving around town recklessly. At around 10:30 a.m. RCMP arrested two men aged 18 and 19 who were covered in red paint, standing beside Nichol's Honda.

"RCMP called me and told me they had good news and bad news. The good news was they found my ATV. The bad news was it was red," Nichol said.

Nichol suspects one of the men took his machine, completely covered it in thick, red enamel paint so no one would recognize it, ripped apart the ignition and hot wired it.

The Honda had a full tank of gas the last time Nichol used it, but when Nichol got it back, the tank was empty.

"I'm just so mad. I'm just so pissed off at them. I'm so disappointed. It ruined our summer," Nichol said.

The ATV is repairable, but it will take plenty of elbow grease and paint thinner on Nichol's part to remove the enamel paint.

The bike also needs a new rear end and a complete engine tune up.

Fortunately for Nichol, he had insurance on the ATV and may get reimbursed for the damage.

Both men have been charged with possession of stolen property and mischief to property. They will appear in court in August.

After this experience, Nichol is sending out a message to other ATV owners.

He thinks it would be wise for everyone to get insurance on their machines.

Quad concerns

Nichol's ATV incident topped off a weekend of steady complaints for Rankin Inlet RCMP July 4 to 6.

Police are calling it, "the weekend of the erratic Honda drivers."

It began on Friday evening with a report of an 11-year-old boy driving a Honda into a large garbage can near the Ilagiitut apartment building.

In a press release, Const. Mike Harvey said the young fellows mom called police and advised that she had locked him out of the house when she went to bingo.

The boy must have climbed through the window and took the Honda keys, she said.

Next, at 1 a.m., RCMP were informed that two Hondas had been involved in a collision near the old water tower at Williamson Lake.

Upon attending the scene police found out one of the drivers was transported to the nursing station where she was examined and released with minor injuries.

Then, Sunday morning at 1:20 a.m., three RCMP officers were outside the detachment when two Hondas drove past at approximately 80 km/h in a 25 km/h zone.

Officers attempted to stop the Hondas but the drivers took off.

Police activated their sirens and the chase began. One machine was later located near the FOL site and an 18-year-old man was arrested and charged with dangerous driving. He will appear in court in late August.

"Except for the 11-year-old, everyone charged (on the weekend) was under the influence of alcohol," said Harvey. "It's just a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed."

He's worried that it will take a tragedy before people realize the serious nature of the problem in Rankin Inlet.

In the past two months, RCMP have arrested three impaired drivers on ATVs and have written approximately 20 tickets.

Harvey said issuing tickets should be a last resort and part of the education process to ensure ATV safety.

When tickets are handed out, he said police are seen as the "bad guys." However, Harvey said they simply want to make streets safer.

"I'm not sure of the answer, but the community as a whole has to take more responsibility and show initiative towards educating drivers," Harvey said.