An Ocean Park mother is hopeful the discovery of a vehicle matching the description of a truck that ripped through her front lawn twice in less than 12 hours, will help find the culprit behind the damage.
Leanne Zanatta and her husband, Troy, came home just before midnight Saturday to deep tire-tread marks running across their lawn. Then, early Sunday morning, they awoke to further marks and damage to a tree on the property.
“At first, we thought it was the kids, as they are just starting to drive, but then when we realized it wasn’t them, we called the police,” she told Peace Arch News.
Police confirmed a witness reported hearing a loud bang in the neighbourhood shortly before 6 a.m. on Sunday, and that a light-coloured, full-size pickup truck was seen near the house.
That morning, Zanatta found a side-view mirror bearing a bullet-hole sticker on the lawn, and believes it belongs to the vehicle that was used to cause the damage.
On Wednesday, two days after Zanatta reported the incident to police, she said the investigator handling the file called to tell her a stolen vehicle matching the description her neighbour had given had been found.
“I got a voicemail from the investigating officer who says they found a vehicle matching the description of the one that damaged the lawn with damage that coincides with the mirror we have,” Zanatta said.
“Maybe if someone recognizes the person who had been driving the vehicle, somebody could point us in the right direction. Because this happened twice in a row, so they obviously had it for two days.”
According to Cpl. Bert Paquet, there have been no other similar incidents reported in the area.
He noted that police are investigating different avenues to find those responsible, including visiting the school Zanatta’s children attend.
“We’re not sure if there is any connection, but she has teenagers, so the police followed up and went to the school to see if there was any vehicles missing the side-view mirror,” Paquet said.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.
To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers, at 1-800-TIPS.