When Cambridge resident Kerry Donnelly awoke recently one morning, something was missing from her property.
Her cannabis plants, which she spent hours of her time tending to, were gone.
“We live in Hespeler in what we thought was a quiet hamlet,” Donnelly said.
“The plants were located at the rear of the property and not out in full view.”
When Donnelly checked her security cameras, she saw two individuals approaching her property. One began hopping her fence and passing the plants to the another individual on the other side of the fence.
“We have video of potentially three individuals “scoping” the area,” she said.
“To have two individuals hop our fence and steal the plants, it obviously makes me uneasy and naturally concerned. For people to attend at the wee hours of the morning to take advantage of other people’s work is not only unsettling, it also makes me angry.”
Despite her frustration and having a crime committed against her, Donnelly decided not to report it.
“We didn't call the police,” she said.
“The Waterloo Regional Police have their hands full of more serious crimes.”
While she didn’t want to report it, it’s still theft and charges can be laid says WRPS Public Information, Andre Johnson.
“We encourage anyone who may have been a victim of a theft to report it online on our website or call police at 519-570-9777,” Johnson said.
“For stealing cannabis plants, an individual would face similar charges for theft over or under $5,000.”
The WRPS are also reminding people of the rules around growing cannabis in the city. Four plants can be grown per residence if the resident is 19 years of age or older.
The amount can only be for personal use and the starting material must be purchased from the Ontario Cannabis Store or an authorized retail store.
It also can’t be forbidden by a lease agreement or condo rules, Johnson says.
For Donnelly, she’ll be sure to exercise even more caution when growing the plants next time.
“Moving forward we will be more diligent,” she said.
“Although we have a camera system, we’ll do more to ensure items of value are secured. It’s evident that if you don’t keep things locked down they walk from your property.
For more information on the Federal Cannabis Act and the Ontario Cannabis Control Act visit wrps.on.ca.
