The Community Options Society’s headquarters in Duncan was broken into on May 22, and thousands of dollars of electronic equipment and other materials were stolen from the non-profit society.
The society offers free teen counselling, mediation and parenting courses among its many functions, and relies heavily on donations from the public to operate, so the loss of valuable equipment is keenly felt.
Michelle Bell, program manager for the society and a city councillor in Duncan, said entry is suspected to have been through the back door of the building, located at 554 Trunk Rd., between 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. last Sunday.
Bell said a 46-inch television, along with DVDs and six cellphones that were used for outreach work were among the items taken.
She said a youth who has been couch surfing at the society also had his Xbox stolen in the heist.
“We haven’t had the heart to tell him yet,” Bell said.
“We’re a non-profit agency and we have no budget to replace these things. The police are investigating and we’re hoping that somebody may have seen something that night, or have seen any of the items taken from us since then.”
Bell said a neighbour spotted a suspect at the scene, and described him as a white man, approximately five foot five and overweight. He has shoulder-length black hair with some grey and was wearing a black hoodie at the time.
Bell asks anybody who might have any information about this crime contact the police immediately.
“We really need the stolen items back,” she said.