Barrie police are searching for a suspect after around $3,000 worth of tools — and later the batteries during a second visit — were stolen from the back of a pickup truck at a Hart Drive motel early this morning.
"The real cost is the time it will take to replace these tools and the impact that it will have on the victim to carry out their work," police stated in a news release on Tuesday.
Police say the theft happened sometime between 4:08 a.m. and 4:12 a.m., Oct. 24, after the suspect approached the vehicle and stole a toolbox filled with assorted hand and power tools.
The suspect even returned to the scene near Highway 400 a second time and stole a crate that contained rechargeable batteries, according to police.
Barrie police are "strongly encouraging" pickup truck owners to never leave items of value in the bed area of their truck as, in this case, older model tailgates must be locked separately from the cab area. Police say newer model trucks have a feature that will allow all the doors, tailgate included, to be locked when using either the key fob or door lock button inside of the pickup truck.
"Thefts like this are preventable, so always check your doors and tailgate when leaving your pickup truck," police say.
Barrie police say there are no known suspects or related descriptions available at this time.
