Sprinkler prankster targetting North Shore restaurants

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Sprinkler prankster targetting North Shore restaurants
The man, who is believed to be calling from the US, has already caused thousands of dollars in damage
News1130 Staff Feb 13, 2011 16:51:09 PM
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•Bizarre prankster at work in North Vancouver
NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - The RCMP say the prankster who was calling hotels in North Vancouver asking guests to tamper with sprinklers is now targetting local restaurants.

The man called some restaurants on the North Shore, including McDonald's, A&W, and Denny's, overnight, posing as a fire marshal at times. In two cases, restaurant employees tripped the sprinkler system, causing water and foam damage.

Police say the man called a North Vancouver hotel yesterday, posed as a sprinkler maintenance man and talked a guest into activating the sprinkler system. The prank has caused thousands of dollars in water damage to the room. Late last night, he managed to convince another guest at the hotel to do the same thing.

Corporal Peter Devries with North Vancouver RCMP says they believe the same person is behind the calls, but they can't rule out a copycat. "The difficulty in identifying the person arises from the fact that the calls were placed in some cases through Skype, which is difficult to trace."

He says businesses need to warn their employees about the trick.

It's believed the calls are coming from the US. Police say the prankster could face up to 10 years in prison.

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