'The whole house is violated': Police find overnight intruder in unoccupied Labrador home

It's not unusual to have unexpected guests at your house over the holidays but one Happy Valley-Goose Bay homeowner had an unwanted visitor who stayed overnight — while he wasn't home.

Keith Russell's brother's house was supposed to be unoccupied during the holidays, but he says police found someone in the home on New Year's Day.

"They beat the window out," Russell said. "They actually had the window laid back up in there so if anybody drove by they would have never known."

Russell said police knew that no one was supposed to be in the house — with his brother away, Russell had checked on the house Dec. 30 — so an officer was suspicious when they noticed footprints in the snow outside the window.

"They came in, knocked on the window and the window fell out," Russell said. "So, the cop came on in then and the individual was in sitting on the couch having a cup of coffee."

There was also trash scattered in the house, said Russell.

"Cigarette butts, a pack of papers, couple cups of coffee there, a few little booze bottles," he said. Nothing was stolen, though, as far as his brother Bill could tell, even though it appeared the intruder or intruders ransacked the house. "It's funny, because they never took anything."

But the house reeked of urine, and there was laundry in the washer. There was a doll, even though the homeowners have no small children.

"From what I can tell there must have been a child here, because there was a doll here and that has nothing to do with our family," Russell said. "That's the disturbing part.… They had a party one night, and coffee the next morning, I'm guessing."

The homeowners were away while Bill Russell's mother-in-law was sick and later died. They were then staying in St. John's while Keith and Bill's own mother was undergoing cancer treatment, but had to return to Happy Valley-Goose Bay to deal with the mess left behind.

"Now my mom's out in St. John's with no family member out there with her," said Keith Russell.

What really bothers him, he said, is "the whole house is violated."

My dad's shed was always unlocked if somebody wanted to borrow a tool. You can't do that in this town no more.- Keith Russell 

 "I know for my brother and his wife this house will never be the same."

People in Goose Bay used to be able to leave their doors unlocked, he said.

"I can remember growing up, my dad's shed was always unlocked if somebody wanted to borrow a tool. You can't do that in this town no more." 

According to a statement from the RCMP, police responded to six reports of residential break-ins in the Hamilton Heights area. A 39-year-old man from Natuashish has been arrested and charged with four counts of breaking and entering, as well as three counts of breaching a court order. 

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