A man from Ottos is currently serving time in prison after being found guilty of stealing a truck full of building materials from the Langfords Police Station compound.
The theft occurred on August 26th at around 4:14 a.m. and it is believed that a police officer may have been involved in the incident.
After an investigation, a man was identified as the seller of the stolen lumber, but he denied stealing the truck. Instead, he claimed that his stepfather, a known offender, had stolen the vehicle and provided him with the materials to sell.
The truck was initially hidden in a wooded area but was later intercepted by the police before the Ottos man could retrieve it.
According to the Ottos man, he paid a police officer $5,000 to steal the truck but has refused to name the officer.
He is currently serving a seven-month prison sentence for his involvement in the crime.
Prior to the theft, the truck had been seized by police and was suspected to be linked to a reported theft of building materials from a construction site.
An on-duty police constable claimed to have heard the truck being driven in the early morning while he was in the bathroom.
He pursued the vehicle but was unable to locate it after it turned onto Friars Hill Road.
Reports later indicated that during the truck’s escape, a piece of lumber fell from it and struck a Marble Hill resident walking along the road.
The driver did not stop and continued on his way.
A complaint was filed at the Langfords Police Station. The truck was eventually found by members of the Special Services Unit, concealed in bushes in Bolans on the same Saturday night, but all the building materials had been removed.
So what about the police officer who was on duty when this happened? The evidence was locked up in police custody and guarded 24/7. I don’t know when we civilians are going to learn.