RCMP are investigating after thieves broke into a Nanaimo home early Christmas morning and made off with several wrapped gifts as well as other items.
Police say the break-in happened at around 3 a.m. on Christmas day as a family of four, including boys aged 10 and 14, were asleep upstairs at a home on Stonewater Drive.
Joseph Lanz says noises woke him up and he went downstairs to find that gifts that had been wrapped and placed under their Christmas tree and stockings hanging in the living room were gone.
He also found his fridge door open, cupboards ransacked and the front door open.
“How do I explain this to my boys?” Lanz says was the first thing that ran through his mind.
“Sickening is how I would best describe it.”
Some of the more notable items taken include two iphone 10’s, Xbox games, clothing and gift cards.
Lanz reported the incident to the Nanaimo RCMP and within minutes officers including a Police Services dog were on scene.
Investigators figured out that the suspects had entered the home through an unlocked kitchen window and left through the front door.
A neighbout out for a walk said he’d seen two men running through the neighbourhood but could not provide a description of them.
Officers found discarded gift wrapping and some gifts left in the area where the men were last seen.
The RCMP police dog was unable to track down the suspects.
If you have information about the crime, call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Ben O'Hara
