Charges are pending against numerous burglary suspects accused of breaking into Rutherford and surrounding county homes and stealing almost $200,000 worth of stolen property, a Rutherford County Sheriff’s supervisor said Thursday.

Sheriff’s detectives and Smyrna Police detectives served a search warrant Jan. 30 at a Smyrna home, recovering between $175,000 to $200,000 worth of property believed stolen from Rutherford, Williamson, Wilson and possibly Coffee counties, said Commander Preble A. Acton of the Criminal Investigations Division. About 15 to 20 burglaries occurred in RutherfordCounty.

“This investigation has effectively shut down the burglaries that plagued approximately half of this county during the month of December and January,” Acton said. “This would not have been possible without the collaborative effort of Smyrna Police Department with our CID division and the sharp eye of CID secretary Cassie Johnson who noticed some similarities between pawned items and property that had been listed on a burglary report.”

Sheriff Robert F. Arnold said he appreciated the agencies working together on the investigation.

“The sheriff’s office dedicated resources to solve this rash of burglaries and to bring those responsible to arrests and prosecutions,” Arnold said. “We want our citizens to feel safe in their homes.”

Since the search warrant was executed, detectives have been extremely busy corralling suspects and following up on the investigation, Acton said. Charges are pending against numerous suspects accused of burglarizing more than 15 houses in Rutherford County, including homes in the Eagleville and Rockvale communities.

“At this stage of the investigation, detectives are just now able to begin the process of calling victims to identify stolen property while working with other counties to identify property,” Acton said.

Detectives will release names and charges of those involved in the near future.

“We ask that victims of recent burglaries do not call detectives about property,” Acton said. “We are currently matching property with reports and will be contacting victims accordingly.”

The commander said CID has taken a new approach in solving criminal activity requiring communication and constant feedback with the patrol division, reaching out to surrounding agencies and working closely with them to develop patterns of crime and actively seeking community involvement.

“CID has taken a more direct approach using technology to pinpoint criminal activity and focusing on this area using patrol and unmarked units to saturate an area and talking to citizens that ultimately can lead to successful resolutions of criminal activity,” Acton said. “This particular case exemplifies what can happen when agencies and divisions come together to solve problems.”

Lisa Marchesoni, Public information officer
Rutherford County Sheriff's Office