SPRINGHILL – A violent crime that left a mother dead and landed her son in jail on murder charges has residents on Mechanic Street on edge.
Zachary Quinn Brake, 18, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his mother, 37-year-old Tracey Ann Rudderham, but town authorities say Springhill is still safe.
A Mechanic Street resident who would only identify herself as Tara said she saw the victim around the neighborhood once or twice but wasn’t even sure if anybody lived where the murder occurred.
“I was surprised there was a murder there,” she said. “It makes you worry when you have kids up here.”
Tara moved from Toronto to Nova Scotia ten years ago, and has lived on Mechanic Street for two years.
“It makes me change my mind about this street,” she said. “I’d like to move off this street. It’s not the safest street to begin with.”
Another person who lives near the mini-home where the murder took place is 16-year-old Zack Gogan.
He grew up on Mechanic Street and said he was at home when the murder happened. He first heard about when he went to school Monday morning.
“It makes me not want to live on this street anymore,” Gogan said.
Springhill police chief, Dean Ruddick, and Springhill mayor, Allen Dill, said Springhill is still a safe place to live.
“It’s quite concerning to our police agency because it’s always a concern when there’s an act of violence in the community,” Ruddick said. “But it’s very safe here in Springhill.
“You can’t prevent every crime and, obviously, we couldn’t prevent this one,” Ruddick added. “It’s not something that happens all the time. It’s very rare.”
Dill agrees.
“This is an isolated incident,” Dill said. “It’s unfortunate and sad, and unfortunately it happened in Springhill, but we certainly are a very safe community and it’s no reflection upon the citizens of Springhill.”
