Proves to lucky day for some, others not so much
Lottery hopes are high for some as others must deal with stolen vehicle
In the early hours of Friday the 13th, Richard Reid was awoken by a call from Regina Police Service.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the Lakeview resident answered the phone at 5 a.m.
“They asked for me and I asked who was calling and they didn’t identify themselves so I just hung up and then they called back,” Reid said.
The call back wasn’t good news. A police officer asked Reid if his car was missing.
“I got up and looked through the curtains and it was gone,” he said.
He and his partner, Daryl Fraess, went outside to check for broken glass. They found the doors of Fraess’ vehicle open and his personal possessions thrown all over their yard and their neighbour’s lawn.
They’re at a loss to explain the theft.
Both vehicles were locked, personal effects were hidden and the cars were parked close to the house on a busy street with no trees or shrubs to obscure the view.
Shortly after the phone call from police, Fraess went to the back alley of the 2100 block of Osler Street where Reid’s red 2005 BMW was found abandoned by a resident who called police.
The vehicle has damage on the passenger’s side after it hit a building.
The couple is devastated by the theft. The vehicle was in mint shape, but it’s older so they ’re worried SGI might write it off.
Going to a one-vehicle household is a problem for them personally and for their business.
Fraess has a medical appointment in Saskatoon in August. If he takes his vehicle and Reid’s BMW isn’t fixed or replaced, that will leave him without transportation.
The owners of Just Us Dogs Pet Care rely on having two vehicles.
“If one of us is out and something happens to one of the dogs, how do I get them to a vet?” Richard asked.
“This is more than an inconvenience!”
Fraess is enraged thieves went through his personal belongings.
“Will they find the people who did it?” he asked. “I don’t know.”
The owners of a black cat aren’t superstitious and don’t believe the theft occurred because it was Friday the 13th.
“It’s just a coincidence,” Reid said.
He and Fraess are the most recent victims of car thieves in Regina.
Auto theft in Regina has been on the rise this year.
From July 3 to 10, police got reports of 25 auto thefts as compared to 22 within the same time frame in 2017.
It was not a good day for Fraess and Reid, but many Regina lottery players were banking on Friday the 13th being their lucky day.
After lunch on Friday, Sandra Cozma dropped by Brandee’s Corner Store on 13th Avenue to purchase her weekly lottery tickets. She splurged to buy an extra LOTTO MAX ticket.
“It’s $60 million, so you have to,” the Reginan said laughing. “It’s a dream of retiring and enjoying the good life. It’s a cheap dream.”
Deborah Johnson from Regina rarely buys lottery tickets, but she had her eye on the grand prize of $60 million or one of the 22 draws for $1 million.
“I came in today because it’s Friday the 13th,” she said. “I think it might be a lucky day.”
She already had a LOTTO MAX ticket for Friday night’s draw, but was covering her bets and purchased a 6/49 ticket for Saturday.
When asked what she would do with a lottery win, Johnson said: “I’d give a lot of it away and to my family. I’d give to people in need and organizations.”
She’s never won a significant lottery prize, but she was dreaming big Friday.
Standing behind the counter at Brandee’s, Bhumi Bhavsar was busy selling tickets to dreamers all day.
“Everybody thinks today is the 13th and a Friday so it is a lucky day,” she said. “That’s why they are buying more than a normal day.”
Bhavsar estimated about 100 people had bought lottery tickets by 1:30 p.m. and expected sales would skyrocket after 4 p.m. when people started getting off work. She never buys lottery tickets. “I don’t think I’m that lucky,” Bhavsar said laughing.