A former Kelowna woman visiting the Okanagan was appalled, then scared to find needles and some blood in her car after it was broken into earlier this week.
The woman said the incident happened in Kelowna while she was visiting her grandmother in a care home along the 1400 block of Sutherland Drive. According to the woman, the vehicle was situated in a well-lit parking lot, near the front door of the care home.
Kelowna RCMP confirmed the incident, saying they received a report of an overnight incident involving a blue Hyundai Accent on Monday.
The woman called the area shady, “but we didn’t expect what we found on Monday morning.”
The woman said they didn’t check all of the car doors to ensure they were locked and figures one of the rear doors was unlocked.
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“When we opened the front door, we noticed there was blood all over the dash, kind of splattered on the door, kind of on the glove box. That was when I was like ‘what happened?’”
The woman said they started rifling through the car to see what they took, though there was nothing of value in the vehicle.
“But they went through everything,” she said. “And as we were going through the car, we discovered a needle and we were kind of shocked.”
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The woman said more needles were later discovered.
“It seems as though they spent some time in the vehicle and enjoyed themselves,” said the woman, adding some cupcakes were eaten and also smeared on the backseat. “It was absolutely ridiculous.”
The woman said it was disheartening to see this happen.
“It was quite a shock, I was quite appalled,” said the woman. “I’ve grown up in Kelowna my whole life. My dad never used to lock the front door when we were kids.”
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The woman said what would have been scary is what if she had returned to her car in the middle of the night because she forgot something inside?
“Who knows what they would have done, if they were high on something,” said the woman. “It was quite scary.”
The woman, who now lives in the Lower Mainland, said Kelowna is a beautiful place, but that the city’s drug issue needs to be addressed.
“Kelowna could take a few more actions and have a more strategic approach and really crack down,” she said, “because it’s sad to see that hit so close to home.”
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Meanwhile, RCMP are reminding residents to ensure their vehicles are properly secured and that valuables are removed. Police say thieves will often try door handles on vehicles as they walk through residential neighbourhoods.
Police are also asking the public to be mindful of suspicious persons in their areas, and to report any suspicious activity immediately.
Anyone with any additional information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300.