Security footage captures man breaking into Parksville family’s home

A Parksville family was shocked to return home to broken glass and missing valuables, after their home was burglarized while they were away camping.

The intruder used a fire poker from the back yard to a smash a window in the car port and gain entry to the home the morning of May 22, according to Jeffrey Dutton.

A Parksville family was shocked to return home from camping to find their back window smashed in and valuable items stolen. Security video courtesy Jeffrey Dutton.@ParksvilleNews story coming soon #parksville pic.twitter.com/y8awVJLuBp

— K F (@KF8335155463239) May 26, 2025

“He took the boys’ Nintendo Switches, my son’s pellet gun, his jewellery box with his fossils in it, my son’s shoes from the car port, he took those,” he said. “That’s how they actually got him dead to rights — because he was still wearing the shows when they found him.”

The Dutton family’s neighbours phoned the police at approximately 7 a.m., who had already received a call about an attempted break-in elsewhere on Riley Road, according to an Oceanside RCMP news release. Police found that a third home had a shed broken into, and someone had also tried to break into the house.

Thanks to video surveillance footage, police identified a suspect and quickly arrested a 35-year-old man.

The police knocked on the door of the Duttons’ tent trailer to let them know what had happened, after a neighbour directed police where to find the family.

Police found the jewellery box, but it was smashed and emptied of the fossils it contained. They also found some items the suspect dropped, including the son’s BMX helmet.

The family has lost the feeling of safety in their own home, Dutton said, and added that he has heard stories about break and enters and knows there are people living unhoused in wooded areas not far away.

“You never think it can happen to you until it does,” he said, and added he is glad the family was not home at the time, and he plans to upgrade the home’s security system.

If anyone comes across the stolen items not yet recovered, such as the Nintendo Switch consoles or the pellet gun, they are asked to contact the Oceanside RCMP at 250-248-6111 quoting file 2025-4840.