Thieves steal air conditioners from west end Windsor homes, leave disturbing notes

Ryan Rawlings and his partner Kaitlyn MacLean were enjoying themselves in sunny Dominican Republic earlier this month but came home to a chilling discovery.

The central air conditioning unit they had installed on a home they're renovating on Curry Avenue, in Windsor, had been vandalized and some of its components were stolen.

All that remains is a fan unit and some exterior panels.

"It makes me hesitant to want to stay here," Rawlings told CBC News.

He said the unit cost $4,000 and it will cost them $1,000 for the deductible to replace it with insurance.

The thieves also cut the power lines to the unit so when another air conditioner is installed the wiring will also have to be redone.

"It's just unfortunate that this had to happen." 

Thieves also made off with an air conditioning unit from a nearby vacant house, but also wrote some disturbing notes on the garage of that house.

One note points to where the air conditioner used to be and reads, "prime example. Bye copper @$4.80/lb."

Another note says, "Give to your local 'Panhandlers' cause they/we're going to get that Drug money one way or another. Think about it, believe me DON'T want to steal, we HATE IT!! So pay a few bucks now and then when you us OR pay later when we are forced to steal from your car, home, wallets, purses etc...Dope Sick is like the worst ...and we will do ANYTHING not to be sick!!!"

"It's not a great feeling when you have stuff like this happen, especially prior to moving into a house that you've just spent the last year renovating," said Rawlings.

Neighbour Gerry Renaud said he has seen homeless people camping in the area near the vacant home and damaging property.

"If your house is vacant, you got stuff like that, they're gonna come into your yard. They just take it all apart," said Renaud.

"They'll take the garbages out of people's backyards, bring it in the alley and rifle through it and just leave the garbage everywhere."