OPP rescues raccoon trapped in highway catch basin; Barrie senior scammed of $200,000

Photos shared by police show the 'masked bandit' with its head sticking out from the grate

Published Sep 21, 2026  •  2 minute read

A raccoon stuck inside a sewage grate in Burlington is pictured in a photo shared online by the Ontario Provincial Police. Photo by Ontario Provincial Police - Highway Safety Division /Facebook

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An incident last week involving a raccoon stuck in a highway catch basin in Burlington had members of the Ontario Provincial Police doubling as animal control officers.

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The OPP said in a Facebook post on Monday that “sharp-eyed” drivers alerted police to the helpless critter who “got in a little over their head.”

An OPP officer is pictured at the scene, ready to help a raccoon trapped inside a sewage grate in Burlington. Photo by Ontario Provincial Police - Highway Safety Division /Facebook

Police said officers blocked the left lane of the ramp from eastbound Hwy. 403 to Hwy. 407 to “give a helping hand and free up” the raccoon, whom they named Rocky.

A raccoon is pictured trapped inside a sewage grate in Burlington. Photo by Ontario Provincial Police - Highway Safety Division /Facebook

The OPP said it “fled the scene, seemingly unharmed.”

It shared three photos showing the “masked bandit” with its head sticking out from the grate.

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Barrie man victim of $200,000 investment scam

An elderly Barrie man lost $200,000 in a cryptocurrency investment scam, police said on Monday.

Barrie Police said it was first contacted by the 78-year-old man’s bank after it noticed suspicious financial activity on his accounts.

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Cops said the scam began in February 2025 when the victim was first contacted by a person on social media.

“The individual developed a ‘relationship’ with the victim and convinced him to get involved in cryptocurrency investments,” police said in a news release.

“Despite having never met in person, the victim became entrenched in what he believed to be a true connection over months of constant communication,” police added.

The individual allegedly gained access to the victim’s accounts and transferred substantial amounts of money on multiple occasions into cryptocurrency accounts that the victim could not access.

Police said the victim remained convinced the scammer was working in his best interest.

The money was allegedly transferred outside of Canada, which police said made it extremely difficult to recover, but investigators were able to work with the victim’s bank to recover roughly $135,000 of the victim’s money.

Police said the incident is a reminder that “investment scams can take many forms and may involve a combination of romance, social media, artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency to gain a victim’s trust.”

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Bradley Elliott is pictured in a photo provided by the Ontario Provincial Police. Photo by OPP /supplied

Federal offender nabbed in Barrie

The OPP said a federal offender wanted on a nationwide warrant for breaching his statutory release has been apprehended in Barrie.

Bradley Elliott was located and arrested by Barrie Police, the OPP said on Monday.

Barrie cops told CTV News that officers received a tip about Elliott’s whereabouts and took into him custody without incident.

The 42-year-old was serving a 49-month sentence for a lengthy list of offences including identity fraud with intent to obtain property, possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, motor vehicle theft and assault with a weapon.

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