A package that was taken from Fernridge resident Courtney Thomas’ porch on Wednesday afternoon has been returned—accompanied by an unusual note of apology.
The package was returned, unopened, to Thomas’ front porch along with a handwritten note that reads, ‘So there you have your package returned. I did not steal it. It was all apart of some stupid scavenger Halloween thing.’
The note continues: ‘The point is it wasn’t mine and it never shoulda happened — yet it really did — that being said my apologies to your residence.’
Thomas said she’s unsure what to make of the apology.
Langley RCMP Cpl. Holly Largy confirmed police are investigating.
Despite returning the parcel, Cpl. Largy said the suspect could still be charged.
The story of the pilfered parcel came to light earlier in the day, after Thomas posted home security video to Facebook. The video, which was shared to a number of Facebook groups, showed a woman walking up to the house before walking away carrying a large parcel, which had been delivered just a few minutes earlier by UPS.
Thomas, who has lived in Fernridge just six months, was at work when the package containing a pop-up greenhouse was delivered, but the security camera sends her a live video feed.
Immediately after watching the video, she called the police.
“It was very clear that these people were following the UPS truck in a dark blue Chevy Tahoe,” said Thomas during an interview with the Times before the parcel was returned.
Thomas said the incident isn’t the first to occur on her property.
“We got security cameras installed a couple weeks ago after my quad and my boyfriend’s dirt bike were stolen.”
In the six months Thomas has lived in Fernridge, copper plumbing has also been stolen from her crawl space.
Despite three thefts in six months, Thomas said support from her neighbours has been “overwhelming.”
“My neighbour Susan has even made wanted posters. She got them printed and laminated at Staples, all out of pocket. As terrible as this theft is, seeing all this community support to catch the thieves really restores some faith in humanity. We’ve been feeling a bit defeated after so many back-to-back crimes.”
“We live in beautiful Fernridge. We actually chose this area because it seemed so safe and had such a tight community,” said Thomas.
Thomas said she’s waiting to hear back from the RCMP.
