East Ottawa business wants police to reopen investigation into damaged trucks

An east Ottawa business says it believes it knows who punctured dozens of dump truck tires in January but is frustrated that, months later, whoever is responsible remains at large.

"One of our employees here discovered that someone had broken into our yard across the road and had flattened 30 tires on dump trucks and tractor trailers and I guess caused a little over $40,000 worth of damage," said Sean Saunders, general manager for Maurice Yelle Excavation.

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It happened on Jan. 20, in the yard where Maurice Yelle Excavation parks its trucks.

Staff looked through security footage and recognized a vehicle they say matches one driven by a former employee.

"He had made threats to break some things during his exit interview and a couple days prior," said Saunders. "So, we have a pretty good idea of who committed the crime, and I think it was just revenge based."

Security video shows a vehicle near the Maurice Yelle Excavation parking lot on Jan. 20, 2024, the night a dozen trucks were damaged. (Maurice Yelle Excavation/supplied)

Months have passed, but no arrests have been made.

"The Break and Enter Unit investigated the file, which included reviewing CCTV footage from several businesses in the area," Ottawa police said. "Due to a lack of evidence, the file has since been closed. Should new information be obtained, the file may be reopened."

The company says officers made several phone calls to the potential suspect and the OPP confirms it visited a home at the request of Ottawa police.

But the company says that is not good enough. It wants to see the investigation reopened with more effort being made to make contact with the person they believe did this.

"They kind of agree with us that they kind of know that's the same person, the same vehicle, but since they don't see the person's face, they don't see the license plate, they cannot go to a judge to get a warrant to get this guy arrested or brought into the station," said Maurice Yelle Excavation health and safety officer Denis Perrault.

A closeup photo of a punctured tire from one of Maurice Yelle Excavation's damaged trucks. (Katie Griffin/CTV News Ottawa)

Saunders says the incident has been frustrating and costly.

"Because it was 12 different vehicles that were damaged, they're claiming that it's 12 separate claims. So, in this case, we would get no reimbursement whatsoever and for a small family business like us, it's not easy to absorb this type of cost," he said.

The company has put up a $10,000 reward for information.