Word travels fast in Whitehorse - faster than a couple of kids on a stolen snow machine.

At around 2:30 Thursday afternoon, Carson Schiffcorn and Tony Ciprani were driving up Robert Service Way when they spotted two teenagers riding a snowmobile along the side of the road.

The two men had just been downtown running errands, and had heard about Wednesday night's theft of a snow machine from the Yukon Hospital Foundation's Christmas fundraiser, being held at the Yukon Convention Centre.

"We were just talking about how awful it was," Schiffcorn recalled in an interview today. "And when I saw these kids, my gut told me something was up."

The boys on the snowmobile were dressed in jeans and light jackets, Schiffcorn said. Neither was wearing a helmet, adding to the Marsh Lake resident's suspicion.

Still following the two up the road, Schiffcorn phoned Whitehorse RCMP and asked for a description of the stolen vehicle.

It was a match.

"They deked into Robert Service campground," Schiffcorn said, "and by that time, the cops were on it," so Schiffcorn and Ciprani left the boys in blue to do their job.

RCMP Sgt. Roger Lockwood said today that when officers first patrolled the area, they didn't come up with the missing snowmobile, but they did find the two young men who were allegedly riding it.

"That conversation led us to the snow machine," and the arrest of three other suspects, Lockwood said.

From there, police located all of the stolen goods, spread across the city in three separate residences.

In addition to the snowmachine, police recovered two flat-screen TVs, two laptops, a selection of home electronics and some alcohol, Lockwood reported. He estimated the value of all the items at close to $20,000.

"It just goes to show there are no routine calls," the sergeant said.

"A member of the community sees someone riding without a helmet and it leads to the recovery of stolen goods."

Sponsors of the hospital foundation fund-raiser rallied 'round for the charity Thursday, event producer Charlene Alexander said today, and had already replaced the stolen auction items by the end of the day.

She said organizers planned to pick up the recovered goods from the police today and see if anything has been damaged.

At the foundation's Bah Humbug cocktail reception held Thursday evening, Premier Dennis Fentie presented the charity with a cheque for $75,000 from the government, to help make up for the loss.

"The government was very dismayed at the conduct of the individuals who did this thing," Fentie told the Star today. "We felt it is very importnat for us to help out.

"We have to give credit to a couple of obsevant Yukoners," he added. "Things have worked out for the best this holiday season."

The four youth and one adult arrested Thursday were set to appear in court early this afternoon.