Masterton Container Storage facility. PHOTO/KAREN COLTMAN.
Theft under investigation
KAREN COLTMAN
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Items belonging to a grieving mother have been stolen from a storage container in Masterton.
Leanne Palenski’s sentimental belongings were stolen from her storage container at Masterton Container Storage on July 4, and she wants them back.
Some of the items taken are teddies with an ‘S’ on them that her late daughter Shannon had with her in hospital when she was having cancer treatment for her brain tumour.
Shannon died last June, aged 24.
Her mother is angry and upset that her container was “trashed” and these items were taken among other things.
But she was not the only one to have their container broken into.
Four containers were broken into at 4am.
Over the weekend just gone, Palenski went with her niece to the storage facility on Edwin Feist Pl and was “disgusted” to see how someone had gone through her container and just tipped everything out.
She said it looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off.
Palenski spoke to the Masterton duty sergeant on Sunday and was told no arrests had yet been made.
She is angry and wants her daughter’s belongings back because they are very special to her.
She put them in storage because she moved and was in the process of sorting out household items.
Owner of the storage company Dianne Sutherland said she had given police the name and car registration of the person that did the break-ins.
Police have taken fingerprints and went back last week to get additional forensic evidence.
She said the culprit was an existing customer with an individual swipe card to the main gate.
She knows they entered at 4am on Saturday morning and used bolt cutters to get into four containers and left at 5am.
“I felt violated as I am responsible for these containers and my customers,” Sutherland said.
“It is horrible to know that they were rifled through.
“I really hope the personal items will be recovered and the evidence comes together for an arrest.”
Sutherland has since made some security changes.
