BY RACHEL DOVE
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — A single mother of three is heartbroken after a burglar broke into her home on Coldwater Road and stole every present under the Christmas tree and other items.
“This is like taking a page from the Grinch movie, only I don’t expect the thief to have a change of heart and return what they stole,” said Heather Spence of Inez, the mother of children ages 6, 8 and 11.
“I was finally able to take my babies on a mini-vacation to Tennessee and then received a notification on my phone at 3:37 a.m. Sunday alerting me to movement inside my home. As soon as the alert came through, the thief unplugged the camera to prevent being identified and then proceeded to steal every gift under my tree, which were all for my three kids.”
The burglar also took Spence’s iMac computer and several items belonging to Spence’s 6-year-old son, including a new red 49cc mini-dirt bike, PS4, Nintendo Switch and iPhone.
“They even took the kitchen trash can and the toilet paper,” said Spence.
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around what happened. How can someone be so heartless?”
Spence says the thief was either familiar with her home or was told the location of the surveillance camera by someone familiar. She has a suspect in mind and provided that information to the Kentucky State Police investigating the case.
According to Spence, a witness in the immediate area when the crime was committed reported seeing a silver Chevrolet Impala near Spence’s home with a small dirt bike sticking out of the open trunk.
Spence works two jobs to provide for her children and give them the things they need and want. She is also a nursing student working toward a career that will allow her to give her children a better life. She says the burglary destroyed her children’s Christmas and “feels like a slap in the face” to single parents working to provide for their families.
“Christmas is supposed to be the highlight of the entire year for children,” said Spence. “They spend time making their wishlists and dreaming of unwrapping that special gift on Christmas morning. They’re not supposed to be crying over some heartless person taking advantage of a single mom who busts her butt to provide for them – or to be in fear that the thief will break in again. This is unforgivable.”
LaRaya Fields-Dingess, who owns the property where Spence and her family reside, has started a fundraiser on social media to try to assist Spence in replacing some of the stolen gifts. Anyone who wishes to donate can call Dingess at 304-784-1308 or Spence at 606-626-9797.
“I don’t care about anything that’s mine,” said Spence. “Do you have any idea how hard it was and how long it took to save the money to buy the dirt bike, Xbox, phone and Nintendo Switch that belonged to my son?”
Spence urges anyone with information regarding the burglary to contact Trooper Taylor at KSP Post 9 by calling 606-433-7711 or the Martin County Sheriff’s Office at 606-298-2828.