Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
By Nicole Young / The Tennessean
Detectives spent a little more than two hours Tuesday evening at U.S.
Sen. Lamar Alexander's west Nashville home investigating a burglary
they believe was a "random" crime.
According to police spokesman Don Aaron, the senator was in Washington D.C. at the time of the incident.
His wife, Honey, called police to her house just before 4 p.m., Aaron said.
"Mrs.
Alexander left home at about 10:45 this morning and returned at about
1:30 this afternoon," he said. "She did not immediately detect that
anything was amiss and went about her routine. After more than an hour,
she discovered the rear door was ajar and saw that it appeared to have
been forced open."
After a search of her house, Alexander
discovered that several items were missing, including a leather jewelry
box in the shape of a pirate's treasure chest measuring about 8 by 10
inches in size containing jewelry. Also missing were numerous pieces of
silver plated flatware, perhaps as many as 75, in a protected bag and a
4-piece silver plated coffee tea service, Aaron said.
"There
was no indication to the police department presently that home was
targeted because of who lives there, but rather because the crime of
opportunity presented itself," Aaron said. "It was likely that the
burglar or burglars saw no activity around the front of the house, and
there were delivery boxes at the rear, which is indicative to a burglar
that no one is home ... It is not believed that the burglar or burglars
spent a lot of time in the house. It appears they were specifically
looking for silver items and jewelry."
Aaron said Mrs. Alexander is home tonight with her adult children.
The
police department processed her home for fingerprints and other
evidence, but Aaron did not disclose what they uncovered there.