Man arrested after more than 80 tailgates stolen in Fraser Valley

Tailgates appear to be a hot-ticket item when it comes to a series of thefts that have taken place in the Fraser Valley since the beginning of 2016.

Now, at least one man has been arrested in connection with those thefts.

On Monday, Abbotsford Police (APD) said the arrest comes after the theft of more than 80 tailgates in the jurisdictions of Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack and Langley in the same time period.

David Ahner, 38, was arrested by APD in connection with the theft of two Ford F350 tailgates from Langley (2016 model vehicles), and one Ford F350 tailgate (2014 model vehicle) from Abbotsford.

Arrested May 26, he faces three counts of Theft over $5,000 and one charge of Driving While Disqualified.

“The cost of replacing a single tailgate can be up to $10,000,” said APD Const. Ian MacDonald. “Truck owners are reminded to lock their tailgates as they are more easily stolen when left unlocked.”

The majority of the tailgates that are reported stolen involve trucks in the model years of 2008 to 2016, MacDonald added.

Anyone with information concerning the investigation is asked to call APD at 604-859-5225 or text 222973 (abbypd).