Early Christmas morning, thieves stole children’s presents from under the tree — along with a Nanaimo family’s feeling of safety in their own home.
Alerted by a fridge-door alarm chiming, Joe Lanz, 38, got out of bed on the main floor of his house at 3 a.m. on Dec. 25, startled and confused to see his front door ajar.
“As soon as I rounded the corner, I noticed everything was gone from underneath the tree, the stockings were gone, the kitchen was ransacked.”
Lanz and his wife, Sharon Boyes, ran out of the home in hopes of seeing the thieves. Their children were sleeping safely upstairs and never awoke to the mayhem downstairs.
“I don’t know if I’d want to run into an individual who could do that to people,” Lanz said. “The demons that individual would have to be fighting to do this to people is astonishing.”
The thieves left few items untouched — cans of Pepsi were stolen from the fridge and Lanz’s loafers were taken from outside the front door. Clothing was stolen, along with Lanz’s truck keys. After the theft, Lanz, unable to sleep, waited up in case someone returned to steal his truck.
Wrapped gifts stolen from under the tree included two iPhones, as well as several video games, clothing and gift cards.
The couple “went big” this year, having just moved back to Nanaimo from New Zealand. Lanz said he has worked 15-hour days as a logger and the couple wanted to spoil the kids.
Boyes, a technician, was scheduled to work at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Christmas evening, so the family had their turkey dinner on Christmas Eve instead.
While cooking, they opened the kitchen window and closed it again, but it wasn’t locked.
Investigators determined the thieves entered through the unlocked kitchen window and left through the front door, said Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien.
They left a trail of wrapping paper, boxes and discarded gifts several blocks from the couple’s rented home on Stonewater Drive, in a newer development off Wakesiah Avenue.
A witness told Nanaimo RCMP he saw two males running through the neighbourhood but did not provide a description.
“Officers found discarded gift wrapping and several gifts in the vicinity of where the two males were last seen, and gifts seemingly strewn about on the sidewalk,” said O’Brien.
Lanz and his wife repackaged some of the smaller recovered gifts and explained to their children in the morning what had happened: “They are pretty resilient and all smiles today. And as long as everyone is safe, what more can a parent ask for?”
Lanz said he’s a light sleeper, but didn’t hear the theft in progress.
Once he discovered the crime, police arrived within minutes, said Lanz, and stayed more than three hours investigating and taking fingerprints.
The RCMP police dog was unable to locate the thieves, said O’Brien.
Ironically, Lanz had been hoping to get a security system since October to get a discount on his renter’s insurance, but he said the security firm failed to show up for three appointments.
In October, thieves broke into Lanz’s truck.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.
To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at nanaimocrimestoppers.com or call 1-800-222-8477.
— Cindy E. Harnett, Times Colonist
