“It’s like stealing from your grandma.”
A brazen theft from an Armstrong low-income seniors residence has left a sour note in the community.
The Three Links Lodge was robbed of its tools, weed whackers, chainsaw, air compressor and various others garden tools Wednesday evening.
“You’re not hitting just the elderly but the very poor elderly,” said Wendy Clark, a caretaker at the residence, which has approximately 20 residents and is run by B.C. Housing and the Oddfellows Society.
“People in here are in their 80s and 90s. It’s like stealing from your grandma.”
The theft, which has been reported to the RCMP, included 31 items, from garden hoses and electrical chords to the lock that was on the door of the shed.
“What kind of waste of skin steals from seniors?” Clark said.
The theft comes just days after a cement mermaid statue was stolen from the residence.
“I caught the guy and he dropped it and kept running,” said Clark, who is going to wait until she can cement it down before she puts it back out.
Recently, another Highland Park neighbour had her garage broken into and all her tools stolen too.
Despite being a smaller town, Clark said Armstrong is not immune to theft.
“It’s so bad and it doesn’t matter where or what town.”
While thieves traditionally have taken items to pawn shops, many pawn shop owners know how to spot stolen items and are often supplied with a list of stolen items from the RCMP.
“They’re not taking them to pawn stores, they’re taking them to their drug houses and selling them,” Clark said.
One pawn shop owner in Vernon said he won’t buy anything from any new customers, only the ones he knows and trusts.
Some items can be found on Facebook buy and sell pages.
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