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Stolen gnomes returned to Langford woman with apology note

Theft was a game of truth or dare that got out of hand, says note
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Heather Boggs is happy about the return of two of her three gnomes stolen from outside her Langford home in mid-July. (Aaron Guillen/News Staff)

Heather Boggs was having a laid-back Sunday when she heard a sudden knock on her door. She opened it to find three people with a bag that said “Please return to Heather.”

The Langford woman says the passersby stumbled upon a bag near the front of her driveway on Walfred Road and recognized the home from previous Goldstream Gazette articles about the theft of her three beloved gnomes.

On July 16 around 2:30 a.m., someone stole two gnomes and a turtle figure from her front door area. A surveillance camera captured the moment someone with long hair, wearing loose-fitting clothing and sandals ran directly toward the home, grabbed the items and scurried away.

READ MORE: Gnome stolen from Langford home was a gift for completing chemotherapy

One of the gnomes was given to Boggs after completing chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer more than four years ago – around the same time she moved into her current home.

While local business gave her two new gnomes and a fellow Langford resident gave her two nearly identical gnomes, Boggs never gave up hope she’d find hers.

“I wasn’t ready to let go. I always wondered whether they were shattered on the side of the road or inside someone’s house.”

Boggs opened the bag to find one of her gnomes and the turtle figure alongside a hand-written note explaining the theft was a “game of truth or dare that got out of hand.”

“I was losing respect for the neighbourhood until I saw this note. It’s very kind, but I hope he won’t do it again. If it’s not yours, don’t take it,” she said.

ALSO READ: West Shore business gifts woman with gnomes after midnight theft


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aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com

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An attached note with the returned stolen gnomes from a Langford home explains that the incident was “a game of truth or dare that got out of hand.” (Aaron Guillen/News Staff)