Erik Hopkins, East Ridge Police spokesmanEast Ridge resident David Crownover walked in his front door July 20 to find that burglars had ransacked his master bedroom, grabbed jewelry and taken off with his safe.
"The police said that I was the second that morning," he said. "And while they were here, they got a phone call and said, 'Now there's been three.'"
East Ridge police are trying to solve at least three burglaries in the usually quiet neighborhood near the intersection of Ringgold and South Germantown roads. They believe the incidents are connected, police spokesman Officer Erik Hopkins said.
"We have some suspect information on those cases and are actively following up on leads in all three," he said.
Crownover said he noticed a white car, possibly a Chevrolet, sitting in the street when he left his house that morning for a doctor's appointment. He said he's surprised the burglaries are happening in his neighborhood.
"I've never heard of any trouble in this neighborhood," he said. "That's why it shocked us all."
Crownover said he now is planning some changes around the house such as installing an alarm system and keeping less money in his safe. Although the burglars kicked in his front door, Crownover said his side door was unlocked.
"In 37 years we've never locked the side door, unless we were going out of town," he said. "It's just that kind of neighborhood. But on the 20th, we started locking it."
Anyone with information about the burglaries can call East Ridge police at 423-622-1725.