Calgary police seek owners of $25,000 worth of stolen tools

Following the recovery of more than $25,000 in stolen tools, Calgary police are now looking for the rightful owners. 

Nicholas Burrows, 34, faces charges of mischief, theft under $5,000 and possession of stolen property for the purpose of trafficking.

In late April, a contractor showed up to his worksite in the southeast near the community of Cranston and discovered his storage trailer had been broken into and all of his tools were gone. 

When police began investigating, they discovered another contractor was the victim of a similar theft at about the same time.

On the same night of the break-in, the first contractor discovered some of his tools were being sold online.

Officers executed a search warrant on a home in Douglasdale and recovered more than 80 stolen tools, worth more than $25,000, including the property of the two contractors.

Construction site thefts up, say police

Police are now looking to track down the owners of the other stolen tools and are asking anyone who experienced a similar recent theft to file a police report.

The Calgary Police Service says it's recorded an increase in new home construction break-ins and thefts of construction materials since January.

The majority of the thefts are taking place at vacant job sites on the weekends, according to Staff Sgt. Bruce Walker.

"We are working hard to address this trend and encouraging people to report suspicious activity or people at construction sites to police immediately," said Walker.

Although officers try to get stolen items back to the owners, often the victims haven't reported the crimes to police. 

CPS is encouraging people to keep a record of their property, including identifying marks and serial numbers.