A masked figure in a cow onesie was caught checking doors at a Smyrna business in the middle of the night, and just over a week later, that same address was burglarized by three people who made off with a haul of vape products. Smyrna Police are now asking the public for help identifying everyone involved in both incidents at 291 East Sam Ridley Parkway, the address of Jordan's Market.
Door-Checking Caught on Camera Before the Break-In
According to WSMV, two masked people were seen checking doors at the business around 2 a.m. on August 9. One of them was dressed in a cow onesie, an oddly memorable detail in what police describe as a straightforward burglary case. It's unclear from available reporting whether that door-checking episode was a scouting run ahead of the later theft, but the timeline and shared location line up closely.
Just over a week later, around 1 a.m. on August 16, police said three people burglarized that same Sam Ridley Parkway business and stole multiple vape products. The Smyrna Police Department is searching for those responsible and has publicly asked for help identifying everyone connected to the case, per the station's report.
A Retail Corridor Already Under Watch
Jordan's Market operates as a licensed state lottery retailer and commercial market, according to LotteryMap, and it sits along one of Smyrna's busiest retail strips. Smyrna Police have leaned on license plate reader technology and a Real Time Crime Center to track suspects along that same corridor before, including during a regional retail theft investigation involving roughly $1 million in stolen goods in early 2025, as detailed in a post from the Murfreesboro Police Department.
Smyrna, a fast-growing Rutherford County suburb with an estimated 2026 population of 65,127, has seen its population climb more than 21% since the 2020 census, according to World Population Review. That growth has coincided with heavier commercial development along corridors like Sam Ridley Parkway, and FBI crime data compiled by NeighborhoodScout puts Smyrna's overall crime rate at 26 per 1,000 residents, giving locals roughly a 1-in-38 chance of experiencing a violent or property crime.
Why Vape Shop Inventory Has Become a Bigger Target
Vape and smoke shops have increasingly become burglary targets as state law has tightened around where certain high-value products can legally be sold. Beginning in 2026, Tennessee's HB 1376 restricted the sale of high-potency hemp-derived cannabinoid and THCA products to face-to-face transactions inside licensed 21-and-older retail locations, according to WBIR. That change has concentrated legal inventory into a smaller number of physical stores, raising the value of what's sitting on shelves at shops like Jordan's Market. Smyrna has already seen at least one violent version of this trend: in June, police arrested a suspect who wore a disguise to commit an armed robbery for vape products at a North Dupont Highway store, according to WBOC.
What Suspects Could Be Facing
Breaking into a commercial building with intent to commit theft qualifies as commercial burglary under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-402, a Class D felony, according to legal reporting from Justia Law. Whether the suspects also face felony theft charges will hinge on the value of the stolen vape products: Tennessee law classifies retail theft under $1,000 as a Class A misdemeanor, but merchandise valued at $1,000 or more bumps the charge to a Class E felony, per the Shults Law Firm.
Detective Steve Martin is leading the investigation for Smyrna Police. Martin has previously handled a string of commercial theft and retail burglary cases in town, including incidents at Target, Lowe's, and Kohl's, and Hoodline previously covered his appeal for help identifying suspects in the Kohl's case. Anyone with information about the Jordan's Market burglary or the masked pair spotted checking doors, including the person in the cow onesie, is asked to contact Detective Martin at 615-267-5432 or by email at [email protected].
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