Grinch steals Sask. woman’s van full of Christmas gifts

By: Nigel Maxwell

Melanie Brown said she was shocked Saturday morning when she was told by her young son that her van was missing from her apartment complex in the southwest part of Prince Albert, Sask.

That same van was locked and parked in her driveway the night before.

“My heart sank because I had done Christmas shopping the day before and I had not had a chance to sneak it in the house past my children to hide it, you know, the whole Santa Claus role,” she said.

Brown is a foster parent and has five children in her home, r anging in age from three and a half months to 13 years old.

According to Brown, the thieves made off with a brand new coffee maker she bought for her husband as an anniversary gift, as well as over $200 worth of Christmas presents, including a special gift she purchased for her developmentally delayed daughter.

“Her brand new skates, her new helmet, because she wants to play hockey like her big brothers — all of that was stolen,” Brown said.

Brown said she’s frustrated with ongoing crime in her neighbourhood.

She explained during the summer she would call police two to three times a week for domestic violence issues, people going up and down the block trying to get into vehicles, or for people screaming out in the middle of the street for no reason.

“We’ve had people banging on our door at two o’clock in the morning demanding we call them cabs. We’ve had people try to kick in our basement windows and they’re young teenagers sometimes and their excuse is we’ve had a rough life,” she said.

Brown was informed Monday her vehicle was located.

According to a news release from Prince Albert Police, the vehicle was found parked in a driveway in the 600 Block 21st St. E. The van was towed to the Prince Albert Service headquarters to be processed for evidence.

“I do not know what is in my vehicle and what has been removed but that is my children’s vehicle. That’s what I use to facilitate them and all their activities, and at this time of year, I can’t think of a more Grinch like thing for people to do,” Brown said.