Someone left $250K of jewellery in Ontario Airbnb and of course it was stolen

Four people are facing a laundry list of charges after allegedly stealing over a quarter million dollars worth of jewellery that, for whatever inexplicable reason, was left just chilling in an Airbnb unit in Ontario.

Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) announced the arrest of three males and one female on Monday, charging the group in relation to the alleged theft of over $250,000 worth of jewellery from an Airbnb in Bowmanville, Ontario.

According to police, DRPS East Division officers responded to a theft call near Cove Road and West Beach Road in the quiet Port Darlington Beach area at around noon on Friday, October 11. 

Police allege that the accused rented out a home in the area through Airbnb for the evening of Thursday, October 10, and departed the following morning. Upon the owner's return, they discovered over $250,000 worth of jewellery missing from the home.

(Pro tip: don't leave a quarter freakin' million dollars worth of jewellery in your home and then rent it out to strangers.)

lol this is really messed up who rents out their property and leaves that kind of value in there unreal i get it you are not supposed to steal but common man you are renting to complete

— Jason 🇮🇹 #LeafsForever (@jason98f_jason) October 14, 2024

Luckily for the owner of the home, police state that they were able to locate the suspects and the jewellery after a brief search of the area, and all four were taken into custody.

Police have charged Nicole Bobbi Herdsman, 35, of no fixed address, 41-year-old Clarington resident Marc Dominique Nicholas, Roderick Richard Ayre, 37, from Oshawa, and 38-year-old John Weir, from Clarington, with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and theft over $5,000.

Why would the hell would anyone keep $250,000 worth of jewellery in a Airbnb? That’s just stupid. That’s just asking for it.

— FedUpCanuk 🇩🇪🇨🇦 (@JakeFis64057669) October 14, 2024

Herdsman and Weir also face additional charges for possession of a Schedule I substance, accused of carrying cocaine at the time of their arrests.

Three of the group were released on an undertaking, while Ayre was held for a bail hearing.

Police have appealed to the public seeking any additional information about the case.

An Airbnb spokesperson tells blogTO that "The reported behaviour has no place" on the service and assures the public that the guests accused of this criminal activity were removed from the platform. 

Airbnb offers its 'AirCover' coverage for hosts, which provides up to $3M USD protection in the event of property damage by an Airbnb guest to a host's home or belongings during a stay booked on the platform.

"We are supporting our host with their AirCover request, and we stand ready to assist the Durham Regional Police in their investigation," the spokesperson states.