Stolen ATV pops up a year and a half later

Quite honestly, Rick Maddison had forgotten all about the ATV that was stolen from his driveway a year and a half ago.

And, he certainly never thought he'd get it back.

And then, lo and behold, at 4:45 pm on Monday, Maddison is walking into the Canadian Tire in Kelowna and sees his cherry red 2003 Honda 300EX ATV on the back of a silver pick-up truck in the parking lot.

"I knew it was mine right away," said Maddison, who is also coincidentally the host of the 'Rick & Friends' talk show on KelownaNow Streaming.

"It's a very distinct ATV, red and old, but in very good condition."

Admittedly, a 20-year-old ATV isn't worth a lot and the theft of it certainly wasn't the crime of the century.

But, this story of loss and recovery resonates because it proves stolen property can mysteriously resurface and be reunited with its rightful owner -- months or years after it first disappeared.

This is when Maddison springs into action.

He whipped out his phone and took photos of vehicle identification number/serial number and the license plate of the pick-up it was perched atop.

He then called the RCMP and told them about his surprise discovery.

The police pulled up the original theft report from November 2021 and cross referenced the unique, 17-character string of numbers that make up the vehicle identification number.

It was a match.

Constable Andrew Wood was quickly dispatched to the Canadian Tire parking lot and blocked the pick-up truck with the ATV on it with his police SUV, lights a flashing.

When she came out of the store, the woman owner of the pick-up was surprised by the kerfuffle.

She said her boyfriend had just bought the ATV for her the day before off an ad on Facebook Marketplace.

The women was not charged with possession of stolen property because she clearly wan't the original culprit.

"The officer chastised her for buying an ATV with no ignition switch and no ownership papers and told her that she could rightfully be charged based on the evidence," said Maddison.

"She was grateful and promised to tell the police who sold her boyfriend the ATV."

No word yet on whether or not that information may or may not lead to the original thief.

"I am very appreciative of the fact the RCMP, who are often criticized, for acting quickly and helping recover stolen property," said Maddison.

"My kids are so happy their ATV is back and I want to personally thank everyone from dispatch to Constable Andrew Wood for all their help and diligence on this matter and hope they continue up the food chain and find out who stole the ATV originally."

That's not quite the end of the story.

When the ATV was stolen in November 2021 it was in a cargo trailer, along with two dirt bikes, in Maddison's driveway.

The cargo trailer was found shortly after, in the parking lot of the Ramada Hotel, full of stolen construction materials.

The loot was returned to the building sites where it belonged and Maddison got his cargo trailer back.

But, he didn't get his dirt bikes back and they are still missing in action.

However, after his ATV (mis)adventure, Maddison holds out a flicker of hope that the dirt bikes could show up one day.