Thief steals $10,000 signed Wayne Gretzky jersey from besieged Kelowna store

“Thief Steals Unbelievable $10,000 Wayne Gretzky Jersey From Struggling Kelowna Store”

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This isn’t the first break-in at Players Choice Sports in downtown Kelowna, but it hurts the most, owner Jason Wobshall said.

Kelowna RCMP released this photo of a suspect breaking into Players Choice Sports in downtown Kelowna and making off with at least $30,000 worth of merchandise, including an autographed Wayne Gretzky Racers jersey. Photo by submitted photos/Kelowna RCMP

Jason Wobshall is no stranger to vandalism and theft. For the past 18 years, his downtown Kelowna sports card store, Players Choice Sports, has been the target of thieves and troublemakers.

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But attacks on his business have increased since the pandemic began, and the latest incident – which woke Wobshall from bed around 1:45am early Tuesday – has dealt its hardest blow yet.

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That’s because one of the stolen items is the $10,000 Indianapolis Racers jersey signed by Wayne Gretzky. The Great One played for the Racers in the 1978-79 season before joining the Edmonton Oilers. The white jersey with a blue and red border is identified as 29 of 250.

“This one hits the hardest,” Wobshall said. “These jerseys don’t appear very often.”

The stolen autographed jersey is one of only 250 of its kind. Photo from photos submitted/Kelowna RCMP

The thief also made off with several boxes of sports cards, including F1 cards and rookie cards from Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby worth about $30,000.

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As of late Tuesday morning, Wobshall was still counting the stolen items and believes losses could exceed $40,000.

Kelowna RCMP were alerted to the break-in around 2:10 a.m. Police say a man used a hammer to break the store’s window. The thief was only in the store two minutes, Wobsholl said, and appeared to be after hockey memorabilia. The person, seen on surveillance cameras wearing a white hoodie, smashed several windows and went out the back door.

To add insult to injury, the theft occurred five days before Wobshall is closing his shop and moving to larger and, he hopes, more secure premises.

“Part of the reason we’re moving out of downtown is because it’s gotten so criminal it’s crazy,” he said. “Over here the city is constantly being smashed and grabbed.”

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In November, a thief broke through the store’s window and snatched $7,000 worth of goods in boxes against the wall. In another incident, two teenagers throwing rocks broke six of the store’s windows.

Most of its neighboring businesses were also broken into or vandalized in some way. He’s also tired of cleaning up feces, vomit, and other trash left on the street.

He often pays to repair the damage out of his own pocket because insurance deductibles are too high and he doesn’t want his rates to go up any further, Wobshall said.

Petty crime has taken a heavy financial and mental toll. “As it is, I don’t sleep. I check the camera every hour, every two hours. It’s no way to live. And every business owner in Kelowna thinks the same way.”

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Kelowna RCMP on Tuesday released a photo of a suspect and asked the public for help identifying the individual.

Surveillance footage released by Kelowna RCMP.

“A theft like this causes immense financial damage to a small local business in our community, and the RCMP will use every investigative tool available to find and arrest those responsible,” Const said. Kelowna RCMP’s Mike Della-Paolera in a statement.

Anyone with information or dashcam footage at the 400 block of Cawston Avenue in Kelowna around this time is asked to call Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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