A truck that was reported stolen last week and crashed into an unfinished pool in Niagara-on-the-Lake wasn’t stolen after all, Niagara Regional Police say.
Police charged a 36-year-old Niagara-on-the Lake man on Tuesday with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, public mischief and failure to remain at the scene.
Grant Barlow, the owner of the truck, was scheduled to have a bail hearing in St. Catharines Tuesday via video link, police said.
Last Wednesday, police were told the black GMC Sierra had been stolen.
Homeowner Nick DaCosta was letting his dogs out at around 5:30 a.m. on July 27 at his NOTL home on Concession 7 Road when he discovered the truck in his under-construction pool.
DaCosta provided The Lake Report with security footage from the incident showing the truck crashing into the pool at 2:45 a.m.
Not long after, another clip shows an unidentified man stumbling out and leaving the scene.
“If his steering wheel was turned a few more inches to the right, he would (have) crashed into our daughter’s nursery,” DaCosta’s wife, Vicky DaCosta, wrote in a Facebook post.
The man stumbled home and later admitted to DaCosta that he had crashed the truck into the pool, DaCosta said.
The pool was set to be finished in a few weeks. Due to damage from the crash, it won’t be ready until next year.
Police said the pool is valued at about $100,000, but it’s unclear how much damage it actually sustained.
DaCosta said he expects the repairs will cost anywhere between $45,000 and $65,000, though he’s heard mixed verbal quotes.