A series of seemingly unrelated crimes have hit Okotoks residents in the early hours over the second week of July.
Brett Murrell was away on vacation when his Central Heights area home was targeted around 4:30 a.m. July 12.
“They broke into my garage and then they took all the keys out of my vehicle and tried to get into the house,” said Murrell. “They took a bunch of stuff, like snowboards and golf clubs, tools and work tools, a portable battery charger and ball equipment.”
His doorbell camera caught footage of one thief attempting to break into the home for about eight minutes using the keys that were found, but Murrell said thankfully the only one that hadn’t been taken from the car in the garage was the house key.
The house was not completely vacant, despite Murrell being in Saskatchewan. He had invited one of his real estate partners to house-sit and enjoy the air conditioning in his home while he was away, and they were sleeping in the basement while the attempted break-and-enter occurred.
“It was dark and they just left all the blinds closed,” said Murrell. “So it would have appeared the house was vacant, but it actually wasn’t. That’s a little scary."
RCMP were notified and are investigating the theft, he said. They are able to run DNA testing on cigarette butts left behind on Murrell’s lawn and on his neighbour’s property as well.
He said the thieves likely assumed the home was empty because his RV was missing from the backyard, where it is normally parked. About a week prior, footage had seen someone peeking in the window of the trailer.
Looking back, he said it’s likely the same culprits came for the house when the trailer was gone.
“I think they noticed as soon as the camper had been gone for five days – that’s when they broke in,” said Murrell. “If you drive down my alley enough and you see the camper, all of a sudden it’s gone, it’s a pretty big flag I guess that someone’s not home.”
Entry to the detached garage was gained by the man door, which only has a lock on the handle.
Murrell said he’s installing a deadbolt on the door and more security cameras to ensure the entire property is under surveillance. He said the home has an alarm, but with guests staying there he hadn’t armed it.
He will also be looking into getting the trailer off his property.
“I’m actually looking at renting a storage unit so they don’t know if my camper is there or not,” said Murrell. “It sucks, because it costs about $800 a year, but it will keep them guessing.”
Murrell had posted the incident on social media, and he wasn’t the only one to take to Facebook groups for help identifying suspects lurking about Okotoks homes.
At 4:20 a.m. on July 13, someone broke into a garage in Drake Landing and searched through owner Andrew Mathias’ vehicle.
Mathias posted a photo from a security camera in the Okotoks Community Discussion Facebook group.
“If you know who he is please contact Okotoks Police,” he wrote. “He was very relaxed going through my stuff and made no attempt to do so quietly so it seems he has likely done this many times. Keep safe and lock all your doors!”
On the Foothills Area Views & News Facebook group page, Sherrie Whitton shared doorbell camera footage of someone lurking around the vehicle on her driveway in Cimarron around 12:45 a.m. on July 14.
“My gas cap was also off (the warning light came on and its been a few days since I filled up) so I don't think my doorbell caught the entire scenario,” Whitton wrote.
Okotoks RCMP Sgt. Sukh Randhawa said it’s important for homeowners to be vigilant about locking doors and removing valuables from vehicles, and to be aware of what is happening around the neighbourhood to safeguard their own property.
“The basics are make sure their doors are locked and the front door is locked, all the belongings from the vehicles parked outside on the driveway have been removed, and the keys and everything else are taken away from the car and have been placed inside the house,” said Randhawa. “If the prowlers out there are walking by and they’re checking vehicles, sometimes they get lucky finding a garage door opener or house key in the car, or a wallet in the car.”
Many break-and-enters occur after a garage door opener or key has been found in a vehicle or outside the home, he said.
Summertime tends to make some homes easy targets, as more doors or windows are left open and present opportunities for thieves, he said.
However, there is no clear upward trend in the summer versus the winter months.
“It’s hit-and-miss through the year,” said Randhawa. “What we normally see is a group of individuals coming out of Calgary, getting involved in break-and-enters, and going back to Calgary.”
If residents notice any suspicious activity, they are encouraged to call 911, and an RCMP unit will be dispatched to investigate, he said.
Citizens on Patrol
Okotoks RCMP is also looking for more volunteers with its Citizens on Patrol program, to help monitor residential neighbourhoods and parks.
“The volunteers are an extra set of eyes and ears for the RCMP,” said Randhawa. “They would be patrolling the community of Okotoks in their own vehicle and if they find or see anything suspicious that’s going on, they report back to the RCMP to take action.”
Anyone interested in joining the COP can apply at the Okotoks RCMP detachment.
