Arrests may have solved burglaries

Published 12:00 am Saturday, October 29, 2005

Authorities in Suffolk, Smithfield and Isle of Wight County on Thursday arrested two Suffolk residents accused of nearly 20 burglaries in multiple localities in recent months.

Rahman Dancy, 18, of the 200 block of Wexford Drive, and Michelle Ann Fancher, 18, of the 200 block of Fallawater Way, are in custody at Western Tidewater Regional Jail, said Lt. Debbie George, spokeswoman for the Suffolk Police Department.

Police are still looking for two 17-year-old suspects with ties to the burglary ring, George said.

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Thus far, the teenagers are considered suspects in one burglary in Smithfield, 10 in Suffolk and seven in Isle of Wight County. Most in Suffolk occurred off the routes 10 and 17 corridor in northern Suffolk, George said.

Investigators from the three localities have been working together since the Smithfield Police Department received a tip from a Crime Line call several days ago.

On Thursday, off-duty Suffolk Detective Alfred Chandler spotted one of the suspects while grocery shopping for his family, said Detective Stephen Smith. Knowing she was wanted in Smithfield, Chandler alerted police and got the ball rolling.

Police have recovered all sorts of items, including firearms, jewelry and electronic equipment, George said. Residents from all three localities went to the Suffolk Police Department Friday to identify property allegedly stolen from their homes.

Richard Tally, of Chuckatuck, estimating his losses totaled about $13,000 from a Sept. 13 burglary, spotted several items he said were stolen from his home, including a laptop computer, his son’s first hunting rifle and paintball equipment.

&uot;All these material things are easily replaced,&uot; said Tally, whose father spent 25 years on the Portsmouth Police Department. &uot;What you don’t see is something that was stolen on a different level … a sense of security in your home that can’t be replaced so easily.&uot;