(ESSEX, ON) –The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in Essex, Ontario responded to the report of a theft that occurred between Friday, August 26, 2016, at 3:30 p.m., and Monday, August 29 at 8 a.m., where a person entered the storage yard at the Hydro One facility in the 100 block of Irwin Avenue, Essex, Ontario.
A hole was cut in the fence on the north end of the property, where several forestry trucks were entered and a quantity of power tools including chainsaws worth approximately $5000 were stolen.
Also taken were several sets of climbing equipment and rigging kits, used in the hydro industry, valued at approximately $1500.
Investigators believe that the stolen goods were being sold to tree service companies in the Windsor, Essex County area as well as in Chatham and Grand Bend Ontario.
Robert SANDWITH, age 37 years of Windsor, Ontario and a former Hydro One employee has been charged with Possession of Property Obtained By Crime Under $5000 x 2 and Trafficking in Stolen Goods Under $5000 x 2 and will appear in a Windsor Court on November 3, 2016.
Any person with information regarding this incident or any other property based offence is asked to contact the OPP’s Essex County Street Crimes Unit at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-222-8477 (TIPS), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2000.