Ottawa man charged with theft of 25 sewer grates
Last Updated: Friday, July 4, 2008 | 12:48 PM ET
CBC News
A 42-year-old Ottawa man has been charged with the theft of 25 sewer grates in the Elmvale Acres area — some of the 150 catch basin covers that have gone missing around the city in the past month.
Tim Argiropoulos was arrested Thursday afternoon and is to appear in court on Aug. 11, Ottawa police said Friday.
He has been charged with:
- Theft over $5,000.
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
- Mischief endangering life.
Argiropoulos is accused of stealing the grates from the area east of the Ottawa Hospital, general campus.
Each one weighs 27 to 59 kilograms, covers a hole up to three metres deep and costs about $100 to replace.
The fact that Argiropoulos was charged with theft over $5,000 does not necessarily mean that police believe he may have stolen more than 25 sewer grates, said Ottawa police Const. Jean-Paul Vincelette, adding that the charge could be downgraded in court in the future.
Police said they could release no further details about the arrest as that could jeopardize the continuing investigation of more than 100 missing sewer grates that are still unaccounted for.
The City of Ottawa issued a warning to cyclists, pedestrians and other road users Thursday, telling them to watch out for the holes left by the missing grates and call 311 if they see one.
