Parents 'furious' after phones stolen from Sportsplex dressing room

The parent of a young hockey player is angry and disappointed after her son's phone — which served an important medical purpose — was stolen from the Zatzman Sportsplex in Dartmouth, N.S., over the weekend, along with two others.

Tanya Marryatt's 13-year-old son, Ayden, is the goalie for the Cole Harbour Bantam White Wings. He was at the facility Sunday afternoon to practise with his teammates.

The on-ice practice went from 3:30 to 5 p.m. When they got back to the dressing room, three of the boys got a surprise: their phones had been stolen.

Marryatt said for her son in particular, his iPhone 8 wasn't just a communication device. As someone with Type 1 diabetes, Ayden used his phone as a transmitter for his blood sugar readings.

"He's upset, he feels violated," said Marryatt, who's also the team manager. 

"He doesn't want to prick his fingers all the time now, because with the [glucose] sensor he uses the phone for, he doesn't have to prick his fingers as much."

Marryatt said the phone was locked, so she doesn't understand why someone would steal it.

A Huawei P30 Lite and an iPhone 6 were also stolen. In one of those cases, a boy had saved up all summer for the phone, she said.

Marryatt said the team's coach had asked at the front desk of the Zatzman Sportsplex if they could get a key to lock up the room while the team was on the ice. He wasn't provided with one, so he told the team members to hide their valuables.

Max Chauvin, the general manager of the Zatzman Sportsplex, said the facility used to provide locks for the team room doors, but hasn't done so in a long time.

He said teams are expected to bring their own locks when they rent the ice.

"People told us that they were worried that somebody else might have a key, so this way, you can secure your own stuff with your own locks so that you know nobody else has entered that space," he said.

Incident under investigation

Chauvin said the Sportsplex has surveillance footage from outside the dressing room. He said he scanned through it and spotted "a couple of people" who went in the room.

"They walk by, they look in, the door's open, they see stuff inside, they go in," said Chauvin.

He said he made a copy for police to look at.

Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Const. John MacLeod confirmed that police received three reports of thefts of phones on Sunday.

"The incidents are currently being investigated and our officers have been in touch with staff at the facility to see what the video footage may provide," he said in an email.

In the meantime, Marryatt said she hopes those responsible are caught and the phones are returned.

"The parents are furious. That should never have happened," she said.

MORE TOP STORIES