Since Rugged Edge on Lundrigan Drive was broken into last week, Borden finds himself putting in even more surveillance cameras, motion detectors and brighter lighting.
His business was lucky. A snowclearing contractor noticed suspicious tracks around the Rugged Edge property on the stormy early morning hours of Nov. 27 and notified Borden.
Borden was on the scene immediately after getting the call around 5 a.m.
So was the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, which managed to trace the tracks of the culprits deep into the adjacent woods and locate the two snowmobiles and a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle that had been swiped.
“There was so much snow down, I have to say the RNC did a fabulous job and went over and above to find everything,” Borden said.
All three vehicles were found within a four-kilometre radius of Rugged Edge in less than two hours from the initial response. There was no damage to the machines with an estimated combined worth of $30,000.
Borden figured the thieves had struck in nasty weather, believing their tracks would be quickly covered in snow.
A business across the street from Rugged Edge, J’s Self Storage, did not fare as well.
At 8:10 that same morning, the police were called to the storage units to investigate the reported theft of a large quantity of tools.
Those items have not been recovered.
Borden said his surveillance cameras showed there were at least three people involved in the heist.
One person, 25-year-old Matthew Herbert Jacobs, was arrested Wednesday and charged with breaking into both businesses. Jacobs, who has other outstanding matters before the courts, was remanded into custody when he made an appearance in provincial court Thursday morning.
His next appearance has been set for Dec. 18, the day he was already scheduled to appear on charges of impaired driving, driving while disqualified, drug trafficking and breaching probation.
Borden, who credited social media with helping solicit tips on who may have been responsible, said other businesses in the area were targetted the same night, but the RNC told The Western Star that only these two businesses are part of the ongoing investigation at this point.
The items still missing from J’s Self Storage:
— Johnser Red chainsaw
— Poulan Pro Chainsaw
— Stanley Bosch chopsaw
— Mikita Chopsaw
— Mastercraft chopsaw
— Stanley Bosch Air Nailer
— 2 Hitichi Air Nailers
— Black and Decker Router
— Dewalt Ziptool (drywall)
— Mastercraft cordless drill kit
— Dewalt drywall drill
— Mikita drywall drill
— A box of plumbing copper fittings
Source: Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
