Kelowna residents notice rise in suspicious activity

Some Kelowna residents in Rutland are saying there’s been a large increase of suspicious activity in their neighbourhood.

Many residents report numerous men are knocking on doors in the middle of the night and one instance of a man intruding into a home.

“I wasn’t even in bed for five minutes and somebody rang my doorbell, opened my door and walked right in,” said Cherie Brown, a Kelowna resident.

The home intruder incident happened around midnight in a Rutland home.

“Fear. I have two little girls sleeping in there. And I had this huge guy there (in my home). It was initiating, it was terrorizing and intrusive,” Brown said.

Cherie Brown said she gave the man some change then called the police immediately. She said they were unable to catch the man.

Brown said she’s noticed an increase in suspicious activity in the Rutland area.

“I’ve only been living here for a couple years,” Brown told Global News on Saturday.

“This whole neighbourhood in the last six months has gone to complete hell in a handbasket.”

And on the very same night that Brown’s house was invaded, there were two other incidents in her neighbourhood.

“We had someone ring our doorbell at quarter to midnight and it was a man,” said Janell Laporte.

“I woke my partner up to go answer the door, we answered the door and the man informed us his car broke down and he was 30 dollars short for a tow truck.”

Laporte says they sent the man on his way without giving him money, then a short while later they found a different man in their backyard, around 12:30 p.m.

“My partner went out our back basement door, and when he opened the door he found someone sitting on our steps,” said Laporte.

“I don’t feel as safe, our doors are now locked, every door and every window. Not just during the night but the day as well. We are worried something else will happen.”

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According to social media, many residents in Rutland are experiencing similar incidents, including theft, gas syphoning, and trespassing.

Kelowna RCMP issued this statement: “This is certainly not the first instance we have had of someone going door to door trying to solicit money from people. Often it’s a story that their vehicle broke down, or they need money for a medical reason. If you are concerned that there is someone suspicious in your area, call your local police and report it.”

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