Winnipeg prosecutors are seeking a 35-month sentence for a man who pleaded guilty in court last week to damaging the city’s Deacon Reservoir water treatment plant with a stolen excavator in the fall of 2023.
In the middle of the night, the 39-year-old caused more than $1 million in damage to five buildings at the water facility. He also damaged municipal backhoes, skid steers and several employee vehicles, the Manitoba Provincial court heard.
In photographs distributed by the RCMP after the arrest, several vehicles were shown to be crushed by the excavator. Damage was also visible to the roof and bay doors of the $300-million facility built in 2005.
Water is stored at the Deacon Reservoir to handle peak summer demands for water and to allow brief shutdowns of the aqueduct for maintenance. The four large outdoor reservoirs hold up to 8.8 billion litres of water.
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Aaron Yarema pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, mischief over $5,000 and assault of an officer following charges related to the incident.
He will be sentenced on January 31.
