Crime ring targets unsuspecting affluent areas - WSMV Channel 4
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They have a funny sounding name, but police say a group of thieves making their way through our area definitely aren't playing.
Police say the so-called Felony Lane gang is very meticulous, and the members even change their appearances to look like their victims.
"The amount of money they're getting is huge," said Belle Meade police Detective Tom Sexton.
They are notorious and bold.
"They carry wigs, disguises in the cars," Sexton said.
Sexton said the Felony Lane gang has returned to Middle Tennessee after spreading their crime spree elsewhere in the state.
"They traveled from here, went to Wilson County, broke into several cars in Wilson County, then went to Knoxville and further broke into some cars and then went to some banks there to cash the checks," Sexton said.
Police say the thieves tend to target more affluent areas and victims who might leave their wallet or purse in their car. And, most often, they are targeting women.
"Sometimes they watch you at ball games, at community events, at city parks," Sexton said.
The thieves smash windows, grabbing the victims' IDs and checkbooks. Then they use disguises as they go to bank after bank, cashing in before moving to the next city.
"These folks will exhaust every check in your checkbook until they run out," Sexton said.
For now, the biggest clue Mid-State detectives have is a bank surveillance photo of a woman seen cashing stolen checks.
It's not the first time police say Felony Lane thieves have hit our area. Two years ago, police arrested nearly a dozen people suspected in the crime ring.
Investigators say their best advice is to not leave valuables in you car and to carry only one or two checks with you at a time instead of your entire checkbook.
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