MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer
Posted: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 11:19 am

Veronica King stands next to the remains of her SUV’s window Wednesday morning at the Thompson Lane trailhead. She returned from her daily walk to find the window broken and her purse gone. TMP/M. Willard

A daily walk with friends on the Greenway turned into the nightmare for three local women Wednesday morning.

When Veronica King finished her daily walk, she found her SUV had been broken into, along with two other cars in the busy parking lot.

“It was pretty gutsy for them to do this right now,” King said while motioning to the half-full parking lot.

King said the thieves didn’t take a guitar she had in the back of her SUV, but instead snatched her purse. They also made off with Varity Stone’s purse and broke into another truck before making their get-a-way.

King’s friend Tammy Lillegard said the break-ins probably happened just after 8 a.m. this morning when they showed up for their daily walk. She added there were about 10 cars in the lot when the women arrived.

She sees piles of broken glass in the lot about once a month and security needs ot be beefed up in the area, she said.

“We need cameras,” Lillegard said of the secluded lot, whose view of Thompson Lane is obscured by a thick tree line.

Murfreesboro Police Department spokesman Kyle Evans said MPD has police officers stationed on the Greenway, who patrol parking areas on a regular basis.

“Most would say they feel safe when visiting our parks and greenways,” he said, adding officers patrol on foot, bicycles and even Segways.

But if you don’t feel safe, he did offer some advice for making cars lees attractive to thieves when parked in lots.

“It only takes a few seconds to break in to a car and remove items of value,” he said, so try and keep your vehicle as unattractive to thieves as possible.

Remember to lock your doors and roll your windows up completely, he said.

“Store valuables like electronics and personal information – purses and wallets – in a secure area like the trunk, where it’s not visible to people walking by,” Evans said. “If nothing of value is visible, they (thieves) are much less likely to force their way in.”

Evans said if you do see something or someone suspicious, don’t hesitate to call police with a good description and location and do not take matters into your own hands.

Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.