A Black Mountain resident says having thieves show up in broad daylight two days in a row at his residence is enough to make him think about relocating.
Heavy duty mechanic Dan Herlihy said a service truck he uses for his company was stolen this past Sunday morning and later recovered, stripped of an estimated $70,000 to $100,000 in tools he uses as co-owner of a logging company.
A day later, home from work and dealing with insurance and police on the first incident, the thieves were back in his driveway, attempting to steal his personal truck.
“I was sitting on the couch and I heard the alarm go off,” said Herlihy. “I looked outside and there was a blonde lady sitting in my truck.”
When Herlihy and his wife went outside, the lady scrambled into an onwaiting car and burned out of the neighbourhood.
Kelowna RCMP confirmed the two incidents and say a woman and a man appeared to be working together as the woman quickly left the scene in a waiting blue Mercedes vehicle after being spotted.
She was described as blond, wearing all black clothes and a grey toque.
“Thefts are often a crime of opportunity and thieves work both day and night,” said RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey. “These crimes are less likely to occur if residents are mindful of suspicious persons or vehicles that don’t belong in their area. RCMP would like to remind the public to report suspicious persons, vehicles and occurrences. Often times a suspicious persons report can lead to the discovery of a crime being committed or having been committed.”
In Black Mountain and around the Okanagan, it’s just the latest in a string of thefts, many of which are seeming to get more brazen. Herlihy lives in a quiet neighborhood but after the two incidents, he found out neighbours had also been targetted.
“I’ve been here for 10 years and never had one incident,” he said. “Talking to neighbours it seems like almost everyone has been targetted. I grew up in a small town and I’m not used to this. I told my wife I want to get the hell outta here.”
Herlihy says the theft of the tools from his work truck hits close to home and has affected his ability to work.
“There’s a lot of guys around with their whole livlihood in their trucks,” he said. “That’s what we do, we’re mobile service for heavy equipment. Some of these tools I had since my Dad gave them to me as a kid and now they are all gone.”
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