WALLACE – An unknown individual, or individuals, stole oil from the oil tank at the Wallace Elementary School between April 17 and April 18.
“They didn’t indicate the amount of oil taken but it wasn’t a large amount,” said RCMP Const. Dal Hutchinson.
The fuel tank is located behind the school.
“It’s a fenced-in compound, so those responsible would have had to have climbed a fence to get into it,” said Hutchinson. “In back of the school there’s an ATV trail, so there’s a chance somebody could have been on an ATV, or on foot, who knows.”
Hutchinson said it’s the first time in his two and a half years at the Amherst RCMP detachment that he’s heard of fuel being stolen from a school but said that gas and furnace oil theft does happen.
“In a lot of cases people don’t report it because a lot of time they might not be aware it’s happening or it’s a small amount and people figure they’re not going to bother reporting it,” said Hutchinson. “So it does happen, especially in tough economic times when fuel costs have increased significantly.”
Anybody with information regarding the theft are asked to contact the Pugwash RCMP at 243-2181 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
dmathieson@amherstdaily.com
