Police investigating after dozens of holiday packages stolen from North Okanagan shop

The owner of a North Okanagan store that was broken into over the weekend thinks of it as the ‘Grinch that stole Christmas,’ — or in this case, Grinches.

“It’s just a very selfish thing to do,” said Tim Reardon, owner of Tutor-Tech Computers.

At about 3:30 Sunday morning, security cameras captured a truck driving by the shop.

A few seconds later, it captures the sound of the engine shutting off.

Moments later, the video shows a suspect at the front door appearing to be picking the lock.

When those efforts fail, the suspect walks away, but a short time later, security footage shows the culprit, believed to be female, entering the store through the back door.

The suspect can be heard talking to another person, who appears to be at the back of the store.

In addition to stealing half a dozen consigned guitars, dozens of parcels were also taken from the store, which, in addition to being a music and computer repair shop, is a courier pick-up and drop-off depot.

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“It’s basically a theft for the town, not just for me,” Reardon said. “A lot of people are going to be out of their packages for Christmas because of this.”

On Monday, those awaiting parcels lined up to find out the status of their packages.

“I’m one of the lucky ones,” said Marilyn Stanek. “It didn’t get stolen … Christmas gifts for my daughter and grandsons.”

Ian Thompson, another Lumby resident, wasn’t as fortunate.

“We had some Christmas presents in the packages for my daughter and son coming up for Christmas and it’s just disappointing because I’ve got to do it all over again,” Thompson said. “One person ruins everything.”

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RCMP confirmed they are investigating the incident and said that when they arrived at the store, the culprits had already fled.

Police added they are reviewing the security video and appealing to anyone who may have information to call the Lumby RCMP detachment.

While police look for the culprits, Reardon said he’s not wasting any time taking action to beef up security.

“It’s a shame that in a little community like Lumby, where it’s supposed to be safe, that you have to have maximum security,” Reardon stated.

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