WILMOT, N.S. — Amy Evans is frustrated and discouraged, but like she posted on her Facebook account, ‘What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger.’
She admits what doesn’t kill her also makes her grumpy and cranky too. Just check out her meme.
Somebody smashed the front door window of her shop Amy’s Embroidery in Wilmot in the wee hours of Aug. 14, grabbed two cash boxes, and presumably fled out the back door to a waiting vehicle.
It was a strange break-in because the alarm didn’t go off and numerous things that could have been quickly taken were left alone – like a laptop and cell phone that were right there with the cash drawer.
But it was an expensive night for Amy Evans just the same.
“We were delivering our son to Queens University,” she said. “We left Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. Then 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Ontario time, it was Dave (Smith). He was on his way to open up the car wash and driving by noticed the glass broken and turned around and came back, called the police and waited for them. I called my employee Heather to come up to check to see what was missing.”
At that point RCMP Const. Cheryl Ponee also arrived.
“I got called out that morning at 7 a.m.,” she said. “The front door smashed and entry gained. Whoever broke in knew what they wanted. They went right to the cash box. There was electronics there. Tons of merchandise not taken.”
She believes they exited out the back because glass from the front door led right to the back door.
“They knew where the money was kept so someone had been in there before,” she said, also noting that the laptop and cell phone were left behind.
“I believe they went out back and maybe had car waiting,” she said.
Amy Evans agrees with Const. Ponee’s theory.
NOT LOCKED
“The cash draw wasn’t even locked,” said Amy Evans. “They could have just opened it, taken the cash and gone. But they took the whole drawer with some keys in there, that one little dongle that runs my embroidery software. It runs one of my programs.”
She said she doesn’t have enough ports on her computer so when she uses that particular program she takes the thumbdrive-like device out, puts it in the computer, and then puts it back in the drawer when she’s done.
“You can’t even buy it anymore,” she said. The new version is will cost her $2,500.
The cash drawer itself only had about $120 to $150 in it. Combined with the cost of new glass in the door, it was an expensive night.
And then there was the other cash box that her parents had given her for safekeeping.
“The other cash box that had old coins in it,” she said. “When they went to Florida one winter they gave it to me to keep for them and I’ve just never given it back to them.”
It was filled with old coins including Canadian Centennial coins and all the old-style bills they had collected.
“I’m frustrated by it. It just frustrated me,” Amy Evans said. “Like makes you wonder why you keep doing it when people come and take from you. We’re always giving donations for things and supporting the community and then to turn around and have someone disrespect that…”
THE ALARM
“The alarm didn’t work,” said Amy Evans. “My history says at 3:36 a.m. my remote access stopped. It stopped communicating with the WiFi.”
She figures sometime between then and 7 a.m. is when the break-in happened.
“I assume they disabled it at 3:36,” said husband Terry Evans. He’s talked to people who said you can do it with a laptop from outside if you know what you’re doing.
Amy Evans said she wants people to watch out for each other. “Dave’s always watched out for us it seems. He found Terry’s truck when it was stolen once.”
“It was a unique truck and he saw it somewhere that it shouldn’t have been and called me and said ‘why did you leave your truck there?’ I said ‘I didn’t. It was stolen.’ He said ‘I know right where it is.’”
As for the break-in to her shop, Amy Evans is philosophical.
“It could have been much worse. They didn’t smash anything. They didn’t destroy anything,” she said.
Terry Evans agrees.
“They could have destroyed all the big machines or equipment or anything,” he said.
“And as far as I can tell there’s no clothing missing. No racks were gone. I probably had $120 to $150 in the cash box.”
She’s talking with the alarm company, but it’s working now.
The Evans got back late Thursday.
“They knew she was away I suspect,” said Const. Ponee of the culprits responsible.
Anyone with information on this crime should contact the RCMP at 902-825-2000 or 902-665-4481. Information can also be reported to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
