BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -
A Mid-State homeowner's quick thinking prevented her from becoming another target of a group commonly referred to as the "traveling thieves."
Candace Miles said she had never heard of or seen the suspected thieves, who according to police, strike each spring and summer in wealthy neighborhoods surrounding Davidson County, until she had a run in with them earlier this month as she left her Williamson County home.
"We were backing out of the driveway and we noticed a car going in one direction and then when I backed out after my husband I noticed the car was going in another direction," she recalled.
Miles told Nashville's News 2 she immediately grew suspicious of the white SUV going back and forth in her Taramore subdivision.
"When I circled back around, they had been walking up the street and by the time I had circled around acting like I had forgotten something, they were about here [steps away from my front door]," she said.
Miles said she confronted the two women who were dressed up and claimed to be looking for a small, white dog.
"[They were] all dressed in white, with big white hats on in the middle of the work week. It didn't seem normal to me," she said. "You just don't know who's watching, which is kind of scary.
Miles also said the women spoke with unusual accents.
"I told police I thought it was Russian and he said that it is interesting observation because he said they are actually Middle Eastern," she said.
Brentwood police told Nashville's News 2 at least six burglaries this spring fit the pattern of the so called traveling thieves.
Since the burglaries, multiple emails have been sent by police to residents reminding them to be vigilant while outside.
"Please be aware, if you see something suspicious, let us check it out. That is what we get paid to do," Captain Thomas Campsey said.
He said the "traveling thieves" can get in and out of a home in ten minutes.
Capt. Campsey added that the suspects drive rental cars, steal small expensive items and often ship them, so they won't be caught with stolen goods.
Anyone with information on the recent incidents are urged to contact police at 615-371-0160.
Candace Miles said she had never heard of or seen the suspected thieves until she had a run in with them at her home.
