By: Chris Conte
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - A realtor would call Rattling Road in Clarksville "quiet," but would-be thieves would call it the perfect target.
"The stove, microwave, all ripped off the wall," explained Chris Blackwell as he stood in a newly constructed home.
New houses usually look empty on the inside, but until last night there was a dishwasher, stove, microwave and refrigerator inside the kitchen where Chris stood on Sunday afternoon.
"A refrigerator is impossible to move by yourself, it had to be more than one person," he adds.
Chris Blackwell and his construction crews spent 45 days building the single family home. Looking around, he just wishes whoever took all those stainless steel appliances Sunday morning would've at least had the common courtesy to shut off the water.
"The water seeped down from the kitchen, and into the walls down here," he said standing in a hallway on the first floor of the modern-looking home.
And this isn't the first time this has happened to Chris. Two weeks ago, thieves made off with another $6,000 in appliances from two other houses he's building in this neighborhood.
"We're over $11,000 in damages and theft, so I can't take too many hits like that at all," he admits.
The carpets, walls and even cabinets here are soaked, and what's worse is that this house had already been inspected and sold.
"They (the family) were moving in tomorrow, July 30, so that's been canceled for probably a week or two," Chris adds.
Chris is offering a $3,000 reward to anyone with information about the crimes and says he will also be putting the family up in a hotel until the water damage can be fixed.
