ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County deputies are looking for two people who attacked an elderly couple in Pine Hills. They're warning residents about distraction thefts.
"Police can't be everywhere, so it's gotta take our eyes also to be involved," neighbor Nancy Henkle said.
Henkle said she has been living on Hastings Street for six years and that she knows most of the people who live on her street. A couple days ago, she noticed an unfamiliar vehicle parked on the side of the road.
"I thought, 'Oh, they must of gone to her house.' I try to warn my neighbors, 'Don't open the doors at night time. If your porch light's off and the car is parked outside, don't turn your light on,'" Henkle said.
Deputies said a man and a woman pretended to conduct an inspection Monday at the home of an elderly couple. The victims let the duo inside.
One of them distracted the couple while the other walked around the house. The victims said once they looked around, they acted like they were done, but before leaving, the man grabbed the elderly woman by the wrist and tried to yank off her ring, throwing her to the floor.
"It's not right what they're doing. I don't come like some people right away and open my door. I don't do that," neighbor Gene Kerrutt said.
Deputies said the two took off in a gray pickup truck, possibly a Dodge Ram or Dakota.
Anyone with information can call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477).