NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A west Nashville man took matters into his own hands after a string of thefts over a three-day period.
It all started last Monday when Cannon Kinnard's fiance brought his SUV to work but someone stole it from the parking garage at 3rd Avenue North and Commerce Street. Two days later, his fiance found her car was broken into, parked outside of their home near Woodmont Boulevard and Harding Pike. Some of the belongings stolen include a phone charger, an emergency kit and jumper cables.
However, Kinnard later noticed his tools and equipment were also stolen from his back wood shed including a generator. The generator was found tucked away in a blue tarp behind a chimney located on the edge of his neighbor's backyard that same day.
"My neighbor saw it and knew it was mine," Kinnard told NewsChannel 5. "I guess they couldn't carry all the heavy stuff out, so they decided to get sneaky and come back for it later."
With the suspicion that whoever hid the generator would come back to get it, Kinnard replaced the generator with cinder blocks and bricks and used the same tarp. He bought three $59 deer trail cameras and installed them in his backyard.
The next day, a woman could be seen getting out of a black sedan, possibly a Toyota Camry.
"You can see on her face like 'uh-oh, they know we're coming back here,'" Kinnard pointed as he scrolled through the camera's pictures. "There she is realizing it's cinder blocks."
Kinnard has since reported it to police but no one has been arrested. His SUV was also found but remains in the impound lot for further investigation.
He said several people on his street have had their vehicles broken into, and is pleased with his recent surveillance investment.
With recent violent crimes, he said you can never be too cautious.
"It's just not petty theft anymore, it's serious. If you don't protect your own property with lights and cameras nowadays you're going to get broken into."
