A real-life Grinch appears to have broken into a Nanaimo, B.C. home early Christmas Day, stealing wrapped presents from under a tree and even stuffed stockings while a family slept nearby.
鈥淚t鈥檚 obviously very traumatizing,鈥� Joey Lanz told CTV Vancouver Island from the living room where the alleged crime took place. 鈥淚鈥檝e spent a couple nights on the couch and pacing my living room like a鈥� crazy person.鈥�
The thief -- or thieves -- likely entered the home through an unlocked window, where police found fingerprints. Lanz also says he has been trying in vain for months to get an installed security system activated.
鈥淎nd the worst thing is that here at three o鈥檆lock in the morning, your kids are sleeping upstairs,鈥� Lanz said. 鈥淭his happened twenty feet from my master bedroom.鈥�
The thieves unwrapped and discarded some of the gifts as they fled the home, though many were gone for good.
鈥淭here was headphones and sweaters, hoodies, a pair of shoes,鈥� Lanz explained. 鈥淎 couple phones were stolen. Quite a bit, actually.鈥�
Neighbour Scott Sled believes that transients passing through the area could be responsible.
鈥淭he regular opportunists seem to go through every night and they鈥檒l check car doors,鈥� Sled explained. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not smashing windows and breaking into cars, but if you forget to lock it, chances are they鈥檙e just going to smash and grab anything they can out of there.鈥�
A Block Watch program was formed in the neighborhood about eight years ago to help stymie incidents such as these.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been several years since we first started Block Watch that we鈥檝e had any actual break-ins into homes,鈥� local Block Watch organizer Frances Farmer said. 鈥淓verything has been rifling through vehicles that are unlocked.鈥�
While Lanz was able to re-wrap some of the gifts police found strewn outside the home and give them to his 10- and 14-year-old sons, the rest are likely gone forever.
鈥淎t least the Grinch gave the gifts back at the end of the story, right?鈥� he said.
