A $300,000 tractor stolen from a Manitoba business has been recovered - albeit in much smellier condition than it started in.
Over the weekend, Fisher Branch RCMP raided a property southwest of Fisher Branch. There, they found a stolen tractor hidden under a 15-foot-high manure pile. Police had to call in an excavator to dig out the 2009-model Case IH Steiger 485 tractor, which had been stolen from a Rural Municipality of Rosser business in December 2010.
At the time, police said that thieves had busted their way onto the property at night and loaded the $300,000 tractor onto a trailer, before driving off. It might have been a lost cause, but for the CrimeStoppers tip that prompted RCMP to start searching the Rural Municipality of Fisher property on May 31.
A 24-year-old man from the RM of Fisher has been arrested and is facing charges of theft over $5,000, possession of goods obtained by crime and false pretences. A 22-year-old woman was also arrested, and faces charges of possessing stolen property. Both were released on a promise to appear.