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    NNSL Photo/Graphic

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    TV show still searching for stolen tapes

    Lauren McKeon
    Northern News Services
    Published Friday, August 15, 2008

    SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - An American television producer who had half a shoot's worth of tapes stolen from his vehicle parked outside the Explorer Hotel is no closer to finding the tapes than he was on the day of the theft.

    NNSL Photo/Graphic

    History Channel producer Andrew Ames with cameraman Gordy Waterman, holds what is left of their summer filming after their GMC Yukon was broken into last week. - Lauren McKeon/NNSL Photo


    Andrew Ames was in the NWT filming for a special one-hour History Channel segment on the Tlicho First Nation, called "Trails of Our Ancestors' Journey." The tapes were stolen overnight Thursday, only a day before the crew was set to fly back to their base in Stamford, Connecticut. Also stolen was a small hi-definition camera and a satellite phone - later returned.

    Ironically, the stolen ten Panasonic DVC Pro video tapes don't even fit the stolen camera, said Ames, who suspects the thief likely thought otherwise.

    Luckily there was some good news once the crew returned home.

    "We have the video tapes of documenting the Trails of Our Ancestors journey, and we have the arrival in Wahti. Thank God," Ames said.

    "We may have to come back to redo (some of) the interviews," he said, if the tapes aren't returned. However," the tapes that were not stolen are the more irreplaceable tapes," he said of the happy discovery.

    "If we're going to have some tapes stolen, better it be the second half of the shoot than the first half. The first half was all the beautiful stuff and the moments on the rivers and the lakes," he said.

    "Everybody has been very supportive and very sympathetic," Ames added, referring to his colleagues at the network.

    And there were also others filming the journey. The crew is currently working with members of the Tlicho First Nation to replace some of their missing footage - though it won't be hi-def.

    RCMP Const. Roxanne Dreilich said that as of Thursday afternoon, there had been no new developments.

    "Those types of offences are a fairly low solve rate, simply because of the nature of them," she said.

    "Generally there are no witness. So unless somebody has a moment of conscience and confesses themselves we rarely will get the info that leads to resolving this type of thing. But, we certainly hope in this case that's what happens."

    Ames isn't ready to give up and is still offering a $1,000 reward. "I even put a lost notice on the Yk Trader but no nibbles."