New Maryland — Despite the low traffic and proximity to a good school, a series of robberies have unnerved the quiet Applewood Acres subdivision over the last few weeks — all occurring at the same residence. The home belongs to Angie Burlock, 47, and her family, who are at their wits’ end.
“All of the thefts happen when I’m out taking care of business or chauffeuring my kids around town,” said Burlock. “I let my friends on Facebook know that I’m taking my son to the FHS field for 4:30, and will be home at 6 sharp. Everyone knows from previous posts that my husband Mark doesn’t get home till 7:30, so the house is empty until then.
“Somehow, when I get back, the living room is cleaned out except for our family portraits covering the walls. It’s happened four times now!”
Anxious to show us her social media diligence, Burlock explained how she keeps a photo inventory of the family’s most valuable possessions. “Every time I get a new piece from Winners or Mark gets a new toy, I show it off online.”
The capers have only grown larger, with the thieves becoming more creative each time.
“Last weekend we took a trip to Toronto, and I made sure to let everyone online know that we wouldn’t be home. When we got there, we got multiple calls from an unknown New Brunswick number, asking if we caught our flight on time. Weird, huh?”
The RCMP believe the crimes have been carried out by the same culprits, and that these culprits must have eyes on the home at all times.
“After 35 years on the force, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Const. John Broad, who is leading a major investigative unit looking into the crimes. ”They keep pulling it off, somehow getting right past the unmarked cars we have parked in the area. I don’t think these are local boys — they’re always one step ahead.”
The breakins keep occurring, despite precautions taken by the Burlocks.
“Before we left we installed one of those Ring things, you know, the one with Shaq in the commercials. I posted an announcement over Facebook, along with photos and a detailed description of the system. I even posted where I was hiding the camera, just for my friends’ opinions on if they can think of a better place to hide it,” continued Burlock, as she posted even more photos of the “super secret” RCMP cars staking the scene.
“I’ve been able to replace most of our stuff pretty quickly; Kijiji is full of everything we need. I was even able to get an exact replica of my mother’s favourite, one-of-a-kind gold necklace. What are the odds!”