Exclusive Interview: A house on Locust Grove Road was burglarized Sunday night and the homeowners, Steve and Sheila Spiceland, agreed to give their side of the incident.
Sheila and Steve, Murray residents, were at church Sunday night. Their house on Locust Grove Road was empty – empty besides their poodle Rebel and two burglars.
Steve said, during the time they were gone, officials from eight separate departments combed the nearby fields in search of the burglars. Before they returned, both suspects had been apprehended.
He said an officer chased the male suspect through a thicket and creek and finally took him down by tasering him. He said bloodhounds were used to find the female suspect.
“When I arrived home from church there were countless men from the Sheriff’s Department and other police departments,” Sheila said. “The only thing I wanted at the time was my poodle, they wouldn’t let me in and the officer at the doorway and I had a few words until I could get Rebel.”
The damage inside the home , Sheila said was pointless. She said they destroyed more than they took.
“What really hurt me was the damage they did to my antique clocks,” she said. “These clocks were very important. One was bought with dear friends and the other had been in our family. It’s very unnerving that someone could do this, I don’t understand why someone would do this.”
While walking out the backdoor, the door that has been boarded up, she said they tore up part of her yard as well.
Steve said when the male suspect took off in the car he struck a partially buried propane tank, spilling nearly 200 gallons of propane.
He said he suspected the burglars had been at the house earlier during the day, while they were in Sunday school. The alarm was tripped in the morning, so he went out to the house and nothing seemed wrong. He said they were probably checking the security system.
Steve said the suspects brought a screwdriver and pliers on the second trip and cut the electrical wiring and pulled the electric meter out. The security system, luckily, was battery operated, he said.
The damage the burglars did would end up costing more than the items they stole. Most of the items have been recovered and are in evidence.
“We haven’t gotten an official estimate on the amount of damage and the cost of what they took, but I’d guess it was several thousand dollars,” Steve said.
Sheila said she was never really concerned about her own safety, but more so for her beloved pet. The homeowner carries a licensed concealed weapon.
“Really I was more concerned about the safety of Rebel,” she said. “I was afraid they may have took him or killed him.”
Sheila said she originally got the security system to protect her dog, and was glad she made the investment.
“If it wasn’t for the security system tipping off the officers, they would’ve destroyed everything,” she said.
Upon arriving home and assessing the damage, she witnessed the male suspect being walked down her driveway to an officer’s car. But, so did her 11-year-old granddaughter.
“My granddaughter was distraught,” Sheila said. “I was more disappointed people would do such a thing. Destroying the things we have worked so hard for.”
Steve said he was mad but confused.
Why someone would ruin their life by doing such a stupid thing astounds me,” he said.
Sheila said she and her husband appreciated all of the officers and officials who contributed and applauded their dedication.