A local business owner is expressing her gratitude to members of the community and the Delta Police after a tablet stolen from her business was returned.
The morning of Oct. 23 is likely one Jennyfer Cassar will not soon forget.
Cassar was cleaning her newly opened business Nook Play Studio in Tsawwassen, when a voice came through the door alerting her that a man had allegedly reached through the open door, grabbed a tablet that was sitting on the front desk and ran off.
Cassar said a brief foot chase ensued, but the man, still clutching her tablet, got on a bicycle and made his getaway down 56th St.
“I came back dejected, gutted,” Cassar said. “It was a $400 tablet and I just opened. I was kicking myself for such a stupid mistake.”
The voice that alerted Cassar to the alleged theft belonged to Caitlin Duffus who had been waiting for her mother to come out of a nearby store. Duffus offered to drive around to see if she could see the man who took the tablet and sure enough she saw him board a bus and called the police.
DPD officers soon boarded the bus, located the man, with the tablet and proceeded to arrest him for theft.
Cassar’s tablet was returned to her the next day, but she says the lessons from the previous day's events were not lost on her.
“For me it was just a big learning moment,” Cassar said. “I feel grateful that the DPD were so quick in calling and knew what I needed in order to get what I wanted back.”
In the stress of the day, Cassar didn’t manage to get Duffus’ contact information, so she took to Facebook and posted in the Tsawwassen Loop (NEW) thanking her and another man who joined the foot chase. Duffus eventually connected with Cassar, but the identity of the other Good Samaritan remains a mystery.
“I'm thankful that people continue to be selfless and continue to have a sense of community," Cassar said. “You hear about a little rash of crime here and there but at the end of the day there is a sense of community here and there's a reason why we have such a tight knit community.”
DPD spokesperson Cris Leykauf said calls with detailed descriptions of the suspect, the nature of their departure, time and other details are helpful in leading to arrests.
“We've had successful arrests in the past when that happens and we really do appreciate the assistance of the community when people include this kind of information when it's phoned in,” said Leykauf.
Leykauf added the police file generated during Friday’s events indicates the man is not from Delta. He will next appear in Surrey provincial court in January.
