Campers in Harrison were hit by theft Sunday night, waking up to find miscellaneous items missing from their campsites and vehicles.
Campground owner John Allen figures it was a teen or group of teens making their way through his campsite, lifting a case of beer here, a pair of sunglasses here.
On Monday morning, word began to travel that small items were missing, he said.
"They stole beer, coolers, money and sunglasses," he said. And while no one wants to wake up to find their cooler cleaned out, Allen said the theft is even more serious than that. The culprits also seemed to have stolen several sets of keys.
"House keys, trailer keys, key fobs for their condos," he said. "So if anyone knows of a teenager with a hangover and a pocketful of keys, let me know."
He said he's offering a reward for the safe return of the items, and has placed an ad in this newspaper with the details.
"Mostly it sounds like teenaged kids came in the campground, they had a flashlight and they were prowling around and went through all the vehicles and stole multiple keys."
He said now many of his campground guests have felt the need to hurry home and make sure everything there was secure.
The thieves also ransacked the neighbourhood across the street, he said. And while there have been reports of kids coming in from the beach looking for a few free drinks to pilfer in the past, stealing keys is a different level of crime.
"We've had this problem in the past and not just at my campground," he said. "It happens when all us old folks are in bed. Maybe they're graduating up the criminal ladder a bit."
Agassiz RCMP confirmed that there were eight thefts from vehicles reported in the area of Emerald Ave. and Hot Springs Road. One suspect male was observed wearing a light coloured hoodie, dark pants. The other suspect male was wearing a black t-shirt with white writing on the front and jeans. Both appeared to be about16-19 years old, RCMP said.
Anyone who may have witnesses or has knowledge of the thefts that may identify the suspects are asked to contact the Agassiz RCMP at 604-796-2211 or, if you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS).
The police would also like to remind the public that these thefts can be prevented by locking your vehicles while they are unoccupied and not to keep any valuables in plain view.
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