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Mystery woman in van has neighborhood on edge

Posted at 1:04 AM, Jan 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-29 01:04:55-05

COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. -- Homeowners in one Colonial Heights neighborhood are on edge after a father and daughter spotted a mysterious woman outside their home early Saturday morning.

Jerry Spence said he spotted a van pulling up in front of his home when looked out his front window around 4:30 a.m.

"To be honest with you, I never had nothing like this happen," Jerry Spence said.

"To be honest with you, I never had nothing like this happen," Jerry Spence said.

He said a woman then hopped out of the vehicle.

"I saw her walking down the road," Spence said. "I'm thinking, 'Where's she walking to now?'"

As Spence moved to peek out of one of his home's side windows, he was startled to see the woman "halfway up" his driveway.

When he hurried downstairs and then outside to confront the woman, he said she claimed she was looking for her dog.

But when Spence offered to help her look for the animal, he said the woman turned away, walked back to the van and hopped inside.

But a few minutes later, Spence said his daughter spotted a woman walking past their kitchen window, which faces the backyard.

"Before she could get out the door to confront her, the lady was over on this side of his truck by his garage," Spence said referring to his neighbor's property.

The area where the mystery woman was spotted is the same place that has seen multiple vandalism incidents over the past few months.

First several cars, trucks and a boat were spray-painted in August. Then homeowners awoke to their car windows broken out and covered in raw eggs on the morning after Halloween.

Damaged tires

Damaged tires

And a few blocks away, Sallyann Poates said she found her car listing to one side on New Year's Eve.

"Two of the driver's side tires [were] cut with a knife," she said.

And then three of her tires were slashed about a week later.

Homeowners are keeping watch on their property and their neighbors' yards.

Spence and Poates said that when they called police about past incidents, officers responded promptly.

In fact, Spence said officers arrived at his house about a minute or two after the van disappeared Saturday morning.

But as a result of the damage and uncertainty, some living on the city's South End are considering adding motion-activated lights and cameras as a precaution.

Folks keep watch after a mysterious woman was spotted in the neighborhood.

Folks keep watch after a mysterious woman was spotted in the neighborhood.

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