Black Press
An Enderby man will be serving jail time in connection to the theft of a pickup truck and two snowmobiles stolen in Revelstoke earlier this year.
On April 15, Mitchell Szekely, 34, was sentenced in Salmon Arm Supreme Court to serve 128 days in prison for possession of stolen property, and a month for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. In addition, Szekely is prohibited from driving for three years, and was ordered to provide a DNA sample.
Szekely was nabbed by authorities in Sicamous on Feb. 23 after police tried to stop a suspicious pickup truck and trailer, carrying two snowmobiles, travelling through the community. Instead of pulling over, the driver attempted to evade police. A pursuit ensued over a short distance until the suspect lost control of the vehicle and drove into a ditch.
The suspect then fled on foot, and was later tracked by police dog to a nearby property where he was found hiding in a motorhome. The suspect was taken into custody without incident.
The truck, trailer and snowmobiles were registered out of Saskatchewan, and had been stolen from Revelstoke earlier that morning.
Szekely was charged with breach of probation, possession of stolen property over $5,000 and attempting to evade police.
Throughout this sledding season, Sicamous, Revelstoke and Salmon Arm RCMP have been making a co-ordinated effort to crack down on snowmobile thefts in the region. This has included frequent road checks of trucks and trailers, as well the use of police bait sleds.