MILLERSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The first clue came the morning before the sighting with a trash can overturned and garbage scattered across the yard off of Louisville Highway.
Sabrina Abbott initially dismissed the idea that an animal could be responsible.
"And I told Gary, I said there's no animal around here that could do that. It actually got inside it and pulled every bag out. And he laughed because we watch the bear shows. And he said it could have been a bear. And I said, Gary, you're probably right. And then we see him last night," Abbott said.
Hours later, while Abbott sat outside on her porch, that guess became real.
"Yeah, we were actually watching bear attacks on television on Discovery Channel within three to five minutes for her being in the house that bear just comes from that hill and he's walking across the street," Abbott said.
A sight she said felt more like the Smoky Mountains than Sumner County.
"I've been here 16 years. I've never seen anything like that. When I seen it, it was like, oh my gosh, did I see what I just saw? … We've been to the mountains a hundred times and never seen a bear and then I see one right here at my front door. It's amazing," Abbott said.
The amazement quickly gave way to instinct.
"Well, no, I actually screamed bear and grabbed my dog and ran in the house," Abbott said.
Abbott called Millersville police to report the sighting. With woods behind her home, she believed the bear was drawn to the area because it remained undeveloped while other parts of Sumner County continued to grow.
Now Abbott and her husband have taken precautions.
"So to be cautious, we've got to watch out when we come out at night my husband leaves work at like four or four-thirty in the morning, so now he's got to be very vigilant himself," Abbott said. "I'm gonna be more alert right now at this present moment. Our trash can is locked up in our shed. So, you know, I mean, that's the best we can do for now."
Do you live in Millersville or Sumner County — or have you ever had a wild animal show up in your neighborhood? We want to hear your story. Watch Kim's full report in the video above, and share your experience or tips on bear safety with her directly at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com. Your story could help your neighbors stay safe.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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