RCMP say a 22-year-old Williams Lake man was arrested yesterday morning for allegedly abandoning a stolen dump truck after it broke down along Highway 97C between Ashcroft and Logan Lake.

Spokesperson Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey says a private security guard notified them about a white Ford F550 dump truck in the northbound lanes of the highway. That vehicle, it turns out, was stolen from a garden nursery in West Kelowna.

“The security guard took the exceptional step to contact the business directly and was able to determine that the dump truck had in fact been stolen overnight,” O’Donaghey said. “Armed with a description of the suspect who walked away from the stolen dump truck towards Ashcroft, Logan Lake RCMP officers located and arrested him without incident.”

Police say they seized what they consider to be break and enter tools from the man, noting he was in breach of one of his conditions related to an incident near Williams Lake.

O’Donaghey says this man was later released from custody with additional strict conditions, and a court date in Merritt on July 20. His name wasn’t released, but this man faces a number of additional charges.

If you witnessed this incident, or have any dash camera footage of the dump truck or the suspect, you are asked to call the Logan Lake RCMP at 250-523-6222.