‘Ottawa’ Kanata Man Charged After Stolen Backhoe Recovered in Smiths Falls
Someone will get their backhoe back and a 33-year-old Kanata man faces multiple charges after Smiths Falls police recovered the stolen earthmover.
Jeremy Pershaw was arrested Wednesday by the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ottawa police organized auto theft unit, and charged with theft over $5,000, possession of stolen property, identity fraud and five counts of driving while disqualified. The backhoe was reported stolen in Ottawa in 2014.
Police said the investigation remains “active and ongoing.”
It’s not the first time heavy equipment has been stolen in the region. Last summer, Gatineau police found three stolen machines, their serial numbers filed off, being used at job sites in Cantley.
In that investigation, police seized a John Deere 270 CLC excavator worth $270,000 that was reported stolen in Ottawa in November 2015, a John Deere 450H LGP bulldozer worth $100,000 and stolen from Vaudreuil-Soulanges in 2006, and a Hitachi Z230 excavator, worth $250,000.