Calgary police are crediting homeowner pictures and security video with helping charge a man and his 65-year-old mother with theft.
Teresa Jacobs had a set of four all-season tires and rims stolen from her backyard in Deer Ridge last December.
“You don’t think that somebody is going to come all the way into your backyard and steal your tires–you just don’t think about it.”
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A security camera outside her house caught a pickup truck backing up the driveway. Then, it showed a man and a woman carrying four tires from their yard and putting them in the truck.
She gave the video to police and then shared it on several social media sites.
“I posted it on Facebook and thought, ‘you know it’s a great way for people to connect’ and maybe they could help us catch these people, as well,” Jacobs said.
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Last week, Lindsay O’Brien said a set of all-season tires was taken from her backyard in Auburn Bay.
She also posted it on her Facebook page and then heard from other homeowners who had the same thing happen to them, including Jacobs.
“There were several different posts the previous week before and then that week. There were posts of people who had pictures of people taking their tires and who had seen the truck and we had a description of the truck,” O’Brien said.
All that information was also forwarded to police, and now Julie Della Straza, 65, of Calgary, and Stanley Anthony Straza, 37, of Calgary, are charged with theft under $5,000.
Police said they are still investigating a series of other backyard and garage tire thefts in several communities over the past year. More charges are expected.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
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