Lavington homeowners wonder why a drone was visiting at 4 a.m.

A Lavington couple can’t think of any comforting reasons as to why a drone would have been creeping around their home in the middle of the night last weekend.

A motion-activated surveillance camera at the home of James and Sabrina Hamilton was triggered when a drone wandered into their property at 4 a.m. on June 23.

“It’s unsettling, there’s no reason to be flying something that presumably has a camera around a stranger’s house, especially at that hour,” James said.

If the drone was being piloted by some bored teenagers then James won’t consider it to be a serious concern, but he doubts teenagers would be creeping around at 4 a.m. And Lavington is a small community – he describes is as tight-knit and says he doesn’t know of anybody nearby who owns a drone.

%%Video1%%

In the darkness of night, the drone’s two lights can initially be mistaken for a pair of eyes. But after watching its flight pattern it becomes clear that it’s not a person or wildlife. When Sabrina first watched the surveillance footage and came to that realization, she remembers instantly feeling uneasy.

“I immediately felt panicked and invaded,” Sabrina said. “Like, who wants to look in? Who wants to check on me?”

Sabrina asked her neighbours if they knew anything or saw anything on their cameras. She also phoned the RCMP’s non-emergency line to tell explain what happened, but she didn’t get the impression that the dispatcher shared the same level of concern.

The Hamiltons don’t feel like there are many options to prevent unwanted drones from creeping on them again.

Vernon RCMP did not respond to a request for information before publication.

%%Video2%%

To contact a reporter for this story, email Dan Walton or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.