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TE I I TN I HTN cE CS ee ps =H he pail iBiak sd BR She Si 2- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, April 21, 1998 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Businessman dismayed by damage to equipment By Rik Davie Port Perry Star A local businessman is looking at huge repair bills and his employees have unscheduled time off after vandals "tampered with three pieces of heavy logging equipment in the east end of the township last week. The spree left one vehicle in need of an engine replacement, while another + was driven two miles away from its work area. The machinery had been located in the area known as the pits, off Devitts Rd. Dave Kyte of Blackstock, owner of the equipment, is more than a little - upset. He figures the cost of repairs could climb to thousands of dollars. The machinery was parked overnight at a work area several miles into the bush. A skidder (a tractor for dragging logs out of the bush) was discovered half submerged in a swampy area, stuck in the mud. It has sustained substantial engine damage as a result. Another skidder was found two miles away, on Boundary Rd. "It's going to cost us at least $3,600 to repair the motor -- if we do it ourselves -- and we don't know what the damage is to the two other machines... we haven't had time to look at them," said Mr. - Kyte. "And that's not the worst thing. The . worst is that now four working men are going to go without a paycheque this week, because of this. That makes me angry. Really angry." Mr. Kyte brought the damaged skid- ~ der to a garage parking lot in Nestleton HOSES.... 5/ " - 50° reinforced... 4. 09 239k 1 33-1/2"Wx16"Dx52-1/2"H a 5/8" - 50° rubber .....31 D, 99 - | OAK DRESSER | 511 37 - 25° HOSE REPAIR KITS a Bail lid, (& ONLY 9- gi 99 SPE NLERS PUISAtNG...C.......... 33.99 : CN 99 Thursday morning. Looking at the sludge and sand he found inside the skidder's engine when he dismantled it, he shook his head. "I've been in logging for 36 years and never had anything like this happen," he said. "I figure, if someone was stuck and needed the skidder, they could have gotten me. I'd have pulled them out... I've done it before." Replacement cost on this type of trac- tor can run to $50,000 or more, and insurance rates are high. Mr. Kyte said the equipment wasn't easy to steal: "Whoever did this, knows this type of equipment. Not just anybody can usually jump in one of these things and drive away, it's not that simple." The area around the pits has long been a dumping ground for stolen vehi- cles, and some local residents are becom- ing wary of venturing into the remote area after dark. Local tow truck opera- tors, who pulled out an average of three stolen vehicles a week in the last year, no longer answer calls to the area with- out police escort. Mr. Kyte emphasizes that all those who enjoy four-wheeling in the pits area are not vandals. He had help extracting the skidder, which was stuck in mud and water over its engine com- partment. "When we went in on Saturday to get the equipment, there were maybe 25 kids in there with their trucks. Most of them helped us," he said. "Some of them went into water, cold and up to their waist, to give my guys a hand." C3 lO Lo Yo I AVY CINE LE WEISS LIV 0 Lo Yo AVY CULES 6 Drawers 66-1/2"Wx16""Dx30"H * Reduces Glare e Easily Installed e Extra Wide 07:12 7R 1 2{0]0] 4 ANTI- THEFT DEVICES LIQUIDATION FOR BANKS, INSURANCE COMPANIES & OTHE [ROLLER yi d e Adjustable Length » Keeps Interior Cooler BRAND bi Dave Kyte surveys the damage done to the engine of forestry equipment he had left at a job site southeast of Blackstock. Vandals left the vehicle in swampy water, which caused substantial damage to the engine. He estimates it will cost thousands of dollars to repair. Sunderland man may lose eye after crash A Sunderland man is in serious condition in hospital after his car slammed into a hydro pole early Friday morn- ing, report Durham Regional Police. The 21-year-old sus- tained extensive facial injuries and is in danger of losing one of his eyes after he lost control of his Pontiac Sunfire Friday (April 17) and hit a hydro pole, snapping it in half. The accident occurred shortly before 6 a.m. near Sunderland on the 17th side road, between the 7th and 8th Concessions, according to Durham Regional Police. The car was travelling at a high rate of speed, police add. The driver was taken to the hospital in Port Perry by relatives. He was the sole occupant in the car, which was totalled in the accident, police say. The incident is cur- rently under investiga- tion by Durham Police, who say there are Highway Traffic Act charges pending and that there is reason to believe that alcohol was a factor in the accident. 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