Hoax about 45,000 stolen baby chicks leads to fraud charge for Ontario man, police say [Video]

Police have charged an Ontario farmer after reporting some 45,000 baby chicks were stolen – a claim police now say was a fraud.

The investigation started back in April of 2023 when the OPP says officers received a report of approximately 30,000 stolen chicks from a farm in South Huron, around 50 kilometres north of London.

The chicks were all around 15 days old, and another 15,000 were reported stolen the following month bringing the total to around 45,000, police said.

The value of the animals was an estimated $139,000.

But now, more than two years after the incident, a police spokesperson tells INsauga.com “that there was no actual theft,” but the animals were never recovered.

Evidence suggests that the theft report “was not true,” a police spokesperson told INsauag.com. Few details could be released as the matter is currently before the courts.

The farmer who reported the incident has been charged with fraud over $5,000 and public mischief …