Spate of break-ins hit community

It was light out on Sunday when Kenzie Kane stepped out of her house at 4:30 p.m. for a quick trip to her mother’s house for a family supper.

It was still light out when she came back home around 5:30 p.m. and found her door warped and broken off its hinges.

“She found her room completely flipped upside down, drawers out of the dresser, mattress flipped, the whole nine yards,” Kane’s sister, Emily Kane, told The Eastern Door.

Kenzie asked Emily to speak to The Eastern Door on her behalf, as she picks up the pieces of the devastating burglary.

The thieves stole countless precious items, including $8,500 that Kenzie had been saving with her partner as a deposit for a house, which had been kept in a handheld safe along with their passports.

“I think they just took anything they could carry,” Emily said.

Also taken were clothes and headphones, but the item that hurts most is Kenzie’s jewelry box.

“She had heirlooms in there from our dad who recently passed away just last year, and from our grandmother, who has also passed away,” Emily said. “The sentimental value of losing that was a bigger hit than anything, I think.”

There’s no camera footage of the crime, which took place near McComber Archery, and the only clue left behind is a camo-print Under Armour backpack dumped by the house, presumably forgotten by the thief in a hurry.

The whole family is now investing in cameras and high-tech security systems and is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who can identify the thief.

“Our whole family doesn’t feel safe now. Even my mom, who lives alone. It’s scary for everybody. My sister is exhausted and she’s on edge,” Emily said.

The break-in is now an open file with the Kahnawake Peacekeepers, who are investigating it alongside a number of other break-ins that have happened in the community in the last week.

These include at John Owen’s Oasis restaurant, which was broken into in the early hours of Monday morning, and the Kahnawake Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon. A community member also shared on Facebook that their residence had been broken into on Monday evening, though Peacekeepers were unable to speak on that incident.

Peacekeeper spokesperson Kyle Zachary explained that all the break-ins are under investigation, and that they don’t believe they are connected. He was unable to comment on how that information was discerned, due to the ongoing nature of the investigations.

Not including the incident discussed on Facebook, there have been seven cases of breaking and entering in the community this year according to Zachary. In 2023 there were also seven cases, in 2022 there were five, in 2021 there were nine, and in 2020 there were eight.

“We’re not seeing an increase in instances, but it does happen to have all fallen within one weekend, so I understand why people are nervous,” he said. “Lock your doors, lock your cars, keep an eye out, and if you see something, report it to the Peacekeepers.”

John Owen Jacobs, who owns John Owen’s Oasis, said that he has security footage that shows two young women entering the restaurant and taking his iPad, even stopping for a sip from a bottle of maple syrup.

The iPad has location services turned on, and Jacobs said he was able to track it to a local residence, though it hasn’t updated since the morning of the robbery.

He said the damage done to the door by the crowbar and the cost of the iPad and cleanup has a big impact on a small business like his.

“All they did, these girls, was put me in debt. Right now, we’re trying to give a Thanksgiving dinner, I’ve got all these turkeys, I’m trying to do good for the community. What the hell’s going on?” he said.

He emphasized that people may not fully understand the impact of their actions when deciding to commit a robbery.

“It affects far more than just the immediate victim, it ripples through families and communities, and even those who commit the crime,” he said.

Jacobs is continuing to collaborate with Peacekeepers but says there’s limitations to the investigative process that slow things down - for instance, Peacekeepers were unable to go to the residence that the iPad appeared to be in as they would need a warrant to enter.

Zachary said that’d need to be applied for with a judge and signed off on before Peacekeepers could enter the property.

Hope of getting back the iPad is pretty much gone for Jacobs, who is getting ready to bear the financial loss of purchasing a new one. He said that the fallout of the robbery extends beyond the financial hardship, however.

“The effects are immediate and profound. It’s not just the loss of possessions, it’s the loss of safety, peace of mind, and trust,” he said.

Peacekeepers have video footage of a suspect for the arena theft, who they believe is a non-local man.

That individual entered the men’s dressing room during a community game that was the first as part of an “old timer’s league.” Though the room was locked, it had a connecting bathroom with a room that was unlocked.

Lee Snow was on the ice at the time and came back to find that the cash in his pocket – around $60 - was taken. Around $1,000 was taken from the locker room, with many of the players having brought cash to pay the annual fee for the ice time.

“I feel violated, it’s not fun. Even though it was a small amount of money I lost, he still figured out the door lock, and it’s a little upsetting,” Snow said. “When we got off the ice our captain grabbed his wallet, and he was like ‘We’ve been robbed.’ I said, ‘Get out!’ I thought he was joking.”

Anyone with information related to any of these incidents is encouraged to contact the Peacekeepers directly.

[email protected]