UPDATE: Kelowna woman's stolen fire table returned with an apology
(UPDATE: Nov. 1 @ 9:10 am) - The stolen fire table has been returned.
Mari reached out to KelownaNow to tell us that the fire table stolen from her fenced yard early Monday morning was returned on Thursday night by the man who took it.
"He showed up and apologized, and left a note further apologizing. I was too shocked to say anything before he left," Mari explained on a social media post.
"I never expected for this person to return it, because that never happens, but it was exactly what I wanted -- my table returned and an apology."
She said the propane tank was not returned, but it was almost empty and she was solely concerned about the fire table she had saved up to purchase and bought 29 days before it was taken.
"It means so much to me to have it back," she added.
(Original story: Oct. 31 @ 6 am) - A woman who lives only a couple blocks away from Kelowna’s homeless encampment is sick and tired of the constant petty crime in her neighbourhood.
The latest theft happened early Monday morning, as two suspects broke into her yard and left with a newly-purchased fire table that was sitting on her patio.
“I saved up to purchase it and am heartbroken that it's been stolen,” Mari said. “The petty crime rate downtown has been worse than ever in the past two years, and it's making thieves more and more bold.”
Mari told KelownaNow she has motion lights, a highly-visible security camera and latches on her gates that aren’t accessible from the outside, which all failed to deter the pair.
Even the Sentry Mode on her Tesla, which causes the car to flash its lights and start recording video, didn’t faze them.
While it didn’t stop them from hopping the fence and making off with the heavy fire table and propane tank chained to the inside, the Tesla did provide clear video footage of their faces.
The footage has been forwarded to the RCMP, but Mari is also taking matters into her own hands.
Judging by the video footage, she suspects the duo were only after the propane tank and will “inevitably dump” the fire table, so she’s offering a $100 reward for anyone who manages to retrieve it.
“I'm hopeful that my table can be recovered. It's not small or easy to move; it's over 60 lbs without the propane tank,” she explained. “It has a metal, faux wood tabletop with added amber coloured fire glass.”
According to Mari, petty crime has become such an issue downtown that she and many of her neighbours don’t report minor occurrences because it’s “not worth anyone’s time” to do so.
That includes failed attempts to break into cars and yards and smaller thefts of items like welcome mats and hoses.
“This has evidently resulted in thieves who have no fear of consequences,” Mari said.
In fact, she claims that the same man who stole her fire table was back on her block the next morning scoping out her neighbours’ yards.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Mari’s fire table or the suspects caught in her Tesla’s security footage can report it to the RCMP by calling 250-762-3300 and quoting file number 2024-63665.
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