Darwin Mulholland found himself dressed only in his underwear late one night as he chased an intruder from his mother’s home.
Mulholland’s mother, who lives in a trailer park on Boys Road, has been away on vacation for about a month, and Mulholland has been checking on her house periodically while she’s away.
He said he was there late on the night of Aug. 31 and decided to sleep on his mother’s couch with the television on.
At about 2 a.m., Mulholland said he was shocked to be awakened by the sound of the door of the refrigerator being opened in the kitchen and discovered a young man wearing a black hoodie and a jacket.
He said the youth must have walked right past him on the way to the kitchen while he was slightly dozing on the couch with a blanket over him without realizing there was anybody else in the house.
The youth ran out the door after he was discovered with Mulholland in quick pursuit and, when he began losing ground partly because he was in his bare feet, Mulholland began yelling for help from any neighbours that could hear him.
But, with the neighbourhood largely populated by seniors and the late hour, Mulholland realized there was likely no one coming to help him catch the intruder.
He said he was surprised that the intruder felt safe enough in the home to see what was inside the refrigerator.
“I called 911 and the police came, but the guy was nowhere to be found by then,” he said.
“One of the neighbours said break-ins and theft are ongoing problems in that area. I’ve been checking on my mother’s house about twice a week and I realized afterwards that I had noticed that some things in the home appeared to have been touched or moved. I’m keeping the place locked up pretty tight now.”
Cpl. Tammy Douglas, a spokeswoman for the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment, said no arrests have been made in the case so far, and the police are continuing their investigation.
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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