PENTICTON – It wasn’t the holiday they had planned. A Penticton couple is still trying to get over the shock of having their home broken into and thousands of dollars worth of items stolen.
Anna Haldorson tears up just thinking about the hard-drive that was taken from a locked closet in her bedroom. It had priceless images stored on it and those were the only copies.
“I had all of my dad’s photos on it. He died when I was only three years old,” says Haldorson.
Many other precious items were stolen from Haldorson and her fiancé Patrick Lamane.
“The engagement ring, that’s not replaceable. It was custom-made,” says Lamane.
The couple left town last Monday for a holiday trip. They were in Jasper when they got a call from RCMP saying someone had broken into their home.
“I was in shock. I was shaking, I couldn’t think straight, I was angry, I was saddened, I was crying. Just a mix of emotions, everything all at once,” says Haldorson.
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Penticton RCMP say it was December 23 that a neighbour reported the back door to the home was broken and left open for some time. That was two days after the couple had left town.
“We drove all the way home. We woke up the next morning very stressed,” says Lamane.
Police estimate more than $5,000 worth of stuff was snatched.
“They even took backpacks to load everything up. I had some collector bottles of wine from 2002, 2004, 2008, they were expensive. They were taken,” says Lamane.
Haldorson, who is a photographer, can’t do her favourite hobby anymore.
“All my photography equipment, my lighting, my cameras, everything is gone,” says Haldorson.
Personal documents and paperwork was strewn across the home. Even their teenage daughter’s bedroom was ransacked.
“I feel like they know everything about me and my daughter,” says Haldorson.
On top of everything, their Christmas was ruined.
“During Christmas day, everybody celebrates with their family and enjoys their time together. We didn’t. We were robbed of that this year,” says Haldorson.
The back door of their home is now boarded up with wood. As police investigate, the couple is pleading for their sentimental items to be returned.
“Material things don’t mean anything compared to memories and personal items,” says Haldorson.
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