A resident of the Peachland area is terrified after a burglar broke into his basement suite and stole it while he was sleeping.
Alex Houghton lives on Trepanier Road and works at The Modest Butcher in the evenings. He says he usually sleeps in until around 11 a.m., and just after 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, a man in a blue ball cap and black jacket walked into his house.
“It didn’t really occur to me at first. I woke up but wasn’t quite there and looked around and some of my things were missing. I went to my car and my seats were pulled down. It’s terrifying to imagine someone walking into your house and knowing that someone is sleeping, ”said Houghton.
The thief walked through the front door and started getting away with items like Houghton’s stereo, camera, wallet, watches, and a host of other items. He believes his car keys have been stolen from his counter, and that’s how the suspect got into his car. It was filled with clothes and skateboards, as well as other personal effects, as his house is currently under evacuation alert. Houghton says he just wanted his things to be safe.
“It sucks. I was just trying to do the right thing and pack in case of an evacuation order, but I ended up being burned in a different way. It’s very worrying,” Houghton said.
Of all the stolen possessions, the former cooking student says that he feels injured after losing a certain item. “My knife set was my most valuable possession. I’ve been building it for the past 4 years so it’s really unfortunate but the community has been so supportive of me, “said Houghton.
He says he doesn’t feel safe in his own home right now.
“Greetings to my best friend Zach, he let me stay with him for the night and I’ll be back for the next few nights. It’s inconvenient and unsettling, and I don’t think anyone would want to go back anywhere they know it was broken into, ”Houghton said.
The young man also has a message for everyone who lives in his area. “Just be vigilant. With the fires going on right now and people leaving their homes make sure you take whatever is really important to you and just be ready when someone walks into your house because it happens and people should know about it. “
Houghton’s sister and aunt created a GoFundMe page so he can buy back some of the stolen items. The police are still investigating but have not found the suspect. To donate, click here.
