Calgary police have laid several charges, including one count of break and enter, against a man they allege tunnelled into a neighbouring apartment unit.
Police said they responded to reports of a break and enter on Sept. 5 in the 6400 block of Coach Hill Road SW.
A woman reported that she had returned home and discovered “significant disturbances” inside the home, including finding a large hole in her floor, despite her door being locked, according to Calgary police.
Investigators said they believed the occupant that lived in the unit directly below the one the woman lived in had tunnelled a large hole from his suite into the victim’s unit through an open space behind a fireplace.
According to the police, the woman had reported she was having “ongoing issues” with her downstairs neighbour that had “intensified” in recent weeks.
Police said that investigators gathered evidence in the case and executed a search warrant on Sept. 8, taking a 46-year-old man into custody in connection with the break and enter.
The man arrested, Ben Edward Maize, is facing one count of break and enter with intent to commit criminal harassment, mischief to property over $5,000, and two counts of disobeying a court order.
He was scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 12.
Calgary Police Service Inspector Keith Hurley said the incident was a “deeply disturbing violation” of personal space and security.
“The idea that someone would go to such lengths to gain unauthorized access to another person’s home is not only alarming, but it also shatters the fundamental sense of safety we all deserve in our own residences,” Hurley said.
Anyone with information about the incident has been asked to contact Calgary police at 403-266-1234, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Police noted that the homeowners were often home and asleep during the incidents, as suspects usually gained access to the property between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. by cutting through screens of unlocked windows or through unlocked doors.
Suspects would then take vehicle keys and other valuables, like purses and phones, police said.
The incidents occurred in neighbourhoods around Calgary from August 2024 to June 2025, according to police.
Eight adults and nine youth were charged with about 45 break and enters in the city as the result of a large and complex investigation, police said at the time.
