Over 1,000 trick or treaters visited Breann Tait's home last year. (Submitted photo)

By Nigel Maxwell

Crime

Prince Albert homeowner spooked after vandals wreck Halloween display

Oct 19, 2023 | 6:00 AM

Breann Tait loves Halloween and for the last 18 years her house in Prince Alberts’ East Flat area has been a priority stop for trick-or-treaters.

However, over the past two weeks, vandals have either stolen or destroyed the decorations set up on her lawn. Speaking with paNOW she noted how she had 1,200 trick-or-treaters last year.

“It’s awesome to see but this year I don’t know if I should still hand out or if I should start again,” she said, adding when kids from the nearby school have come over to visit, she’s enjoyed meeting them with chocolate bars and suckers.

In one recent incident, a stolen item was used to smash a neighbour’s window. And then days later, when Tait was home, she suddenly heard a loud banging coming from outside.

“So I went running to the front and sure enough there was a group of about 13 boys, running and all my inflatables were down,” she said.

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Tait got in her vehicle and gave chase, but only got as far as a school field a few blocks away, where she explained the boys, who appeared to be 14 or 15 years old, scattered in all directions.

“There was no catching them and even I did catch them, they obviously had something sharp,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Prince Albert Police Service has confirmed they are investigating and also estimated the total cost of damages to be about $1,000.

What’s even stranger is that with the exception of the neighbour’s broken window, no other decorated yards have been touched, leaving Tait to wonder if she is being targeted.

She also added that her eight-year-old daughter has been hurt the most.

“She’s very upset about it, you know she loves all the decorations and all the kids coming. We don’t even go out trick or treating, we just hand out.”

nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell