Police chase in farmer’s field leads to $123K in stolen vehicles, weapons in Ontario town

A brief police chase through a farmer’s field in southwestern Ontario last week led to charges against two people and the recovery of more than $123,000 in illegal drugs, various weapons, cash and stolen property that includes a snowmobile and pickup truck.

Ontario Provincial Police officers were led to a rural address on Huron-Bruce Road, about 90 kilometres south of Owen Sound, on Sept. 10 as part of an investigation launched by Huron County OPP.

Once at the home, police spotted a newer-model vehicle “immediately drive into a farmer’s field, damaging crops as it tried to evade officers,” OPP said in a news release on Thursday. “The vehicle drove into a tree stump and caused heavy damage to the vehicle.”

Police said the driver tried to flee, but was quickly nabbed by officers. The vehicle was determined by police to have been stolen.

A subsequent search of the field in the area where the brief chase took place turned up a 9mm revolver and ammunition, police said.

Police then recovered an amount of methamphetamine, $1,300 in Canadian cash, a prohibited knife and a container of exploding rifle mix inside the stolen vehicle.

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Vehicles recovered by police during their investigation. (All photos: OPP)

Shortly afterwards, officers found a second stolen vehicle on the property and arrested a second person.

Later on, police executed a search warrant at the property, which led to the recovery of more weapons, additional stolen property and “other offence-related items,” OPP said.

Other goods seized by police included a stolen enclosed trailer, stolen snowmobile, stolen pickup truck, crossbows, compound bows and ammunition.

The total value of seized items exceeded $123,000, police said. Of that, the stolen vehicles were valued at close to $117,000.

Two men, ages 40 and 45, both of South Bruce, Ont., face numerous charges that include firearms-related offences, property obtained by crime over $5,000 and various other offences.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.