A tracking device helped lead High River RCMP to recover a recently stolen taxi cab on the weekend.
Staff Sgt. Robin Alexander said the taxi driver was able to track the vehicle using an app on her phone when it was stolen after a collision on March 16.
“She was able to give us continuous updates as to the location of the vehicle,” he said. “We wouldn’t have likely found this vehicle without [the tracker].”
On the morning of March 16, RCMP responded to a two-vehicle collision on 498 Ave E.
The driver of one of the vehicles involved in the crash then stole a taxi cab that stopped to provide help at the scene.
Alexander said the vehicle the suspect was driving had been stolen. He said the suspect transferred stolen property to the taxi before police arrived.
Alexander said it was foggy, limiting visibility and making it difficult for those on site to tell what direction the cab was driven.
Using the tracker, RCMP eventually located the vehicle and suspect in a rural area southwest of High River.
The case is still under investigation due to the large amount of suspected stolen goods that were found in the cab.
“For cases like this there is a huge benefit [to tracking devices]. I can certainly see applications to that across the board,” said Alexander. He cited the app OnStar as an example of a tracker that could be used to locate stolen vehicles.
He said the theft is an example of how apps can be used by individuals, or in this case a business, to catch “bad-guys” in the community.
Dustin Andrew Sklerek, 31, of no fixed address, was charged with theft of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property, possession of driving while disqualified and obstructing a police officer.
