Midday robbery in Creemore
Rowland and Kate Fleming were shocked to find their Creemore home had been robbed during a brief mid day outing on Dec. 14.
Although they are not aware of any other robberies in the village, they want people to be aware, in case others are at risk.
The Flemings went out for a little more than one hour last Wednesday. They came home at around 1:45 p.m. and each went about their business.
Shortly afterwards, Kate called Rowland upstairs when she discovered one of her bureau draws was tossed on the floor. Money had been taken, as was jewellery from the master bedroom closet.
“Every piece of jewellery, and all my old cufflinks from my business days when I wore French cuffs, were all gone,” said Roland.
The jewellery having belonged to their mothers and grandmothers, had sentimental value and is irreplaceable. Some had been purchased by Rowland for his wife, during his working days.
“Not that she is a big fan of jewellery but she worked so hard looking after the kids while I was working my butt off to be successful career wise, I always liked to buy her something nice and every piece of it is gone,”
Surprisingly, the thieves did not take any electronics.
Rowland said they walked by computers and other small electronic devices and didn’t touch them.
The Flemings had entered through the front door but the thieves used something, possibly a crowbar, to jimmy a deadbolt and entered through the back door.
Rowland said they called the police who responded and took a full report and collected evidence. They brought in a police dog and were able to find one footprint in the snow.
“Then the police brought in their forensic unit. There were five police cars out front at one point,” said Rowland… “They were nothing short of superb in their professionalism.”
“The reason I am sharing this with you is, and maybe it’s the time of year, but it happened at this house and I readily confess it’s not the smallest of houses in Creemore, it’s going to happen somewhere else,” said Rowland. He said people need to be careful and if they see suspicious behaviour, take care to assess the situation and report it to the police if necessary.
Rowland said the police have detailed descriptions and evaluations of what was stolen so police will be able to watch for them.
The Flemings are augmenting the reward offered by Crime Stoppers by up to $1,000 for any information that leads to the recovery of the stolen jewellery.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Huronia West OPP at 705-429-3575 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted online at www.crimestopperssdm.com.
Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display and callers will remain anonymous. Callers will not be asked to appear in court and tips could lead to a cash reward of up to $2,000. For safety and crime prevention tips, visit www.opp.ca.
