A West Kelowna, B.C., farrier is devastated after her specialized tools were allegedly stolen from her vehicle.
Erin McQueen believes her tools were stolen on Nov.16 while her truck was parked in Kelowna near Ellis Street and Clement Avenue.
“I lent my truck to my daughter, we now know that she had parked to play volleyball in the Ellis and Clement area,” said McQueen.
“Someone broke into the back of my truck and stole all of my foraging tools which I make the horseshoes with and some odds and ends.”
The tools, some of which were purchased decades ago, are worth over $2,000 but the sentiment of some of them is priceless.
“A lot of those tools were built by my mentor who was a hall of famer Hank McEwan, he passed away in 2015 so the nostalgic value, it’s all stuff I can replace, but those parts were really disappointing,” said McQueen.
McQueen felt a glimmer of hope Thursday when she found out one of the tools had been recovered.
“A fellow called me this morning, it wasn’t one of the handmade ones unfortunately but it was still a hope,” she said.
The alleged theft prompted a warning from Crime Stoppers.
“We need to make sure that things in our car aren’t in easy sight, it’s an open invitation for someone to break into your car and steal your valuables,” said Linda Annis, of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers.
“Park in a well-lit spot and around lots of cars, criminals are looking for opportunities and let’s not provide them it.”
In the meantime, the farrier community stepped up with tools to help McQueen get back on track.