When Theresa and Gary Fahl moved from Holland Landing, they had a hard time finding a new place so rented an apartment in Belleville for awhile.
Theresa recalls their daughter-in-law asking, “Are you sure you want to live there? The crime is really high.”
However, the Fahls were victimized when they moved to Minden Hills, having their 28-foot trailer stolen from a compound at Hunter Creek Estates.
They reported the theft to the OPP July 12. Theresa said they have been renovating their new home and occasionally went down to the trailer to get things. Last Monday, they went looking for bathroom hooks.
“When we got there, there was no trailer. I was stunned,” Theresa said. “And my husband even walked further down the compound thinking maybe somebody moved it.”
She said the trailer hitch had been locked so someone would have had to have broken that to hook up the 2008 Forest Surveyor. Not only was the trailer stolen, but all of its contents.
Theresa put out a message on a local Facebook site seeking help to find the travel trailer and it got a lot of attention.
Trailer connected to drug overdose
“People shared it and there was a lot of support out here,” she said.
She added that the online traffic may have resulted in the trailer being spotted in a field near Kinmount. Theresa said she and Gary got a call July 15 that it had been located.
Theresa said she believes the trailer was being used in an “unconventional” way and possibly for drug production.
OPP confirmed July 20 that the trailer theft was related to an incident they reported to the public late last week.
In that release, they said they had charged a man with multiple offences after a drug-related investigation July 15.
Police said that at 3:10 a.m., they responded to a drug overdose at an address on County Road 121 in Minden Hills.
They said a man was located in possession of a significant amount of drugs and stolen property.
With help from the Haliburton and City of Kawartha Lakes Community Street Crime Units, a warrant was executed on a trailer for further investigation.
Police seized a quantity of controlled substances, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, with a street value of approximately $14,000 and a loaded firearm.
They charged a 27-year-old Minden Hills man with a raft of offences, including:
Unauthorized possession of a firearm
Breach of firearms regulation – store firearm or restricted weapon
Knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm
Occupant of motor vehicle knowing there was a firearm
Possession of a schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking
Unauthorized possession of a weapon
Possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose – two counts
Possession of a firearm or ammunition contrary to prohibition order – two counts
Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000
Theft over $5000
The accused was remanded into custody and appeared before the Ontario Court of Justice July 16. Police enacted
The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, which became law in Canada on May 4, 2017. The act provides some legal protection for individuals who seek emergency help during an overdose.
The law does provide protection against charges for possessing drugs and violating conditions of a court order for a simple drug possession charge. It does not, however, provide protection against charges for trafficking illegal drugs, outstanding arrest warrants or violating conditions of a court order for an offence that is not simple possession.
Theresa Fahl said the OPP took the travel trailer to a compound in Fenelon Falls. She said the Fahls were told there was some damage, including broken windows but she thought it would be fine with just some exterior damage.
“So, when we got there, the lady said it’s around the back. I saw the corner and I got so excited. And then when I saw it, my heart just sunk. There were broken windows, the canopy was damaged and the stairs were ripped off. They had been cooking meth or something in there. It reeked of narcotics. And all of our stuff that we had accumulated over the years had been disposed of.”
Theresa said the trailer is still in Fenelon Falls awaiting a visit from an insurance adjustor.
She said when she called her daughter-in-law to tell her about the stolen trailer, she commented, “and you were worried about Belleville. You should be worried about Minden.”
Theresa said ever since finding out about the theft, “I’m very uneasy now. I don’t sleep well at night.”
