RCMP hunt for thieves tilting at windmill

It’s an item that’s not easily pinched.

RCMP are on the lookout for a windmill that was stolen from a southwest Manitoba property.

“I’ve got almost 25 years of policing, and this is the first time I’ve ever investigated a stolen windmill,” said Sgt. Darcy Thiessen.

He expects the thieves would have needed a trailer to take it away.

“It definitely would be hard to hide, and you’re not just going to transport it on the back of a pickup truck,” he said.

The theft, which happened more than six kilometres southwest of Elm Creek in the Rural Municipality of Grey, was reported to police on the morning of July 7. The windmill, which is worth $3,500, is believed to have been stolen between July 4 and July 6. It’s nearly 7 metres tall and weighs roughly 113 kilograms.

Thiessen said it’s used to aerate ponds so fish and other wildlife have enough oxygen.

So far, no leads have turned up.

“If you’d see this windmill strapped on the back of a trailer, a lot of people wouldn’t think anything of it because a lot of people can purchase these at auctions and other places,” he said. “It’s not like it would like stick out or look out of the ordinary.”

Thiessen said that while it might be “kind of neat” to have, there’s not much value in it. It’s not easy to pawn and it’s not worth selling as scrap metal because there’s not much steel on the structure, he said.

Julia Webber, owner of Ontario-based Fish Farm Supply Co., which sells windmills across Canada, said this is first time she’s heard about a windmill being stolen.

She said it’s common for the windmills to be reinforced by pounding spikes nearly one metre into the ground — making the theft even more baffling.

RCMP asked anyone with information about the theft to call Carman RCMP at 204-745-6760 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

matthew.frank@freepress.mb.ca