Latest theft leaves Kelowna woman fed up with downtown crime

A woman who lives just blocks away from Kelowna’s homeless encampment is sick and tired of the constant crime in her neighborhood.

The most recent theft happened early Monday morning when two suspects broke into her yard and made off with a newly purchased fire table that was sitting on her patio.

“I saved up to buy it and I’m heartbroken that it was stolen,” Mari said. “The rate of petty crime in the city center has been worse than ever in the last two years and is making thieves more daring.”

Mari told KelownaNow that she has motion lights, a highly visible security camera and deadbolts on her gates that are not accessible from the outside, which failed to deter the pair.

Not even the Sentry mode on her Tesla, which causes the car to flash its lights and start recording video, phased them.

While it didn’t stop them from jumping the fence and running away with the heavy mass of fire and propane tank chained inside, Tesla provided clear video footage of their faces.

The footage was turned over to the RCMP, but Mari is also taking matters into her own hands.

Judging by the video footage, she suspects the duo was just after the propane tank and will “inevitably dump” the fire table, so she’s offering a $100 reward for anyone who can retrieve it.

“I hope my table can be recovered. It is not small or easy to move; it’s over 60 pounds without the propane tank,” she explained. “It has a metal, faux wood top with amber fire glass.”

According to Mari, petty crime has become such a big problem downtown that she and many of her neighbors don’t report minor incidents because it’s “not worth anyone’s time” to do so.

This includes failed attempts to break into cars and yards and smaller thefts of items such as welcome mats and hoses.

“It’s obvious that this has led to thieves who don’t fear the consequences,” Mari said.

In fact, she claims the same man who stole her fire table returned to her apartment building the next morning, searching her neighbors’ yards.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Mari’s fire table or the suspects caught on the Tesla’s security footage can report it to the RCMP by calling 250-762-3300 and quoting case number 2024-63665.