The small coastal town of Holyrood, Newfoundland and Labrador, was rocked by a bank heist in the wee hours of Dec. 16—as robbers used a backhoe to smash a Royal Bank and grab an ATM.
Evidence suggested a dump truck and pickup were also involved in the heist.
A short time later, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) officers stopped 33-year-old Jason James Weir, of Conception Bay South, and three other individuals on the Trans-Canada Highway near Paddy’s Pond.
Weir, who was driving the dump truck used in the break-in, was arrested by RCMP at the traffic stop while the other three were released without being charged. The stolen ATM was found inside the truck bed.
Weir attended court on Dec. 17 and was charged with break and enter, mischief over $5,000 for property damage, possession of stolen property, and breaching conditions of a release order. Further charges are possible as the RCMP investigation continues.
Similar robberies using heavy machinery have taken place in the area previously.
In St. John’s, about 30 kilometres northeast of Holyrood, an Esso gas station was heavily damaged on Nov. 29. The RNC told The Epoch Times heavy equipment is suspected in that incident, as a construction vehicle was seen travelling near the scene at about 4 a.m. Police arrived on scene at about 5 a.m.
It isn’t only Newfoundland and Labrador that has seen “backhoe bandits,” as local media have dubbed those in Holyrood.
In the Holyrood case, police are looking into Weir’s dump truck and also seeking information about a grey 2011 Jeep Patriot and dark-blue 2002 Ford F-350 pickup. The backhoe, which had been stolen from a business in Holyrood prior to the crime, was seized by officers as part of their investigation.
The RCMP is asking for help from Holyrood residents in the area of Conception Bay Highway to obtain surveillance or dashcam footage of the robbery or the vehicles involved.
