Car theft victim has vehicle returned with drugs and weapons inside

CTV Calgary: Stolen car (and weapons) recovered Shaun Frenette speaks with a car theft victim who had her car returned along with a number of illegal items left behind by thieves.

Courtney Pickering has faced a roller coaster of emotions since her car was stolen from outside her northeast home last week. The actions of members of the Calgary Police Service have prompted her to file a complaint with the professional standards section.

Pickering realized her 2014 Dodge Dart had been removed from the alleyway behind her home and reported the theft to police. She soon realized she had left her purse in the car and the thief, or thieves, managed to drain her bank account using her debit card’s tap function.

Several days later, Pickering was relieved to receive a call from police stating her car had been located and she could retrieve it once the forensic unit had conducted its search.

When Pickering arrived at the impound lot the next day, she was horrified by the contents of her car.

“I saw a piece of paper in my cup holder, so I went to pull that out,” explains Pickering. “As I pulled that out, the bag of cocaine that was stuck on top of it, flipped out.”

Pickering approached a lot worker and asked what she should do with the bag of drugs. She followed the worker’s advice and simply threw the bag to the ground.

When she returned to her car, Pickering says she discovered a crack pipe on the rear seat, four pieces of identification in the glovebox, a knife in the front passenger door and a lead pipe near the floor mat.

Pickering called police and an officer removed the evidence from the car. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop where Pickering searched her car again and noticed the butt of a gun under the seat.

“At this point, I can’t tell if it’s real or fake, but all I know is my hands have been on too many illegal things in the past 24 hours and I didn’t want anymore.”

The car theft victim says the entire ordeal was frustrating and she hopes filing a complaint with the professional standards section will prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.

“I'm trying to make enough noise so that hopefully maybe it'll affect that one officer or even anyone in their day-to-day operations,” said Pickering. “Think of the tax dollars that could've been saved if they had just given it 10 minutes more than they did.”

Pickering is currently driving a rental car as her vehicle receives a thorough detailing.

Officials with the Calgary Police Service say an investigation has been launched into Pickering's complaint.

With files from CTV's Shaun Frenette