BIG STONE GAP, Va. (WJHL) – An investigation is underway after a string of reported burglaries in Big Stone Gap between Dec. 19 and Dec. 29.

According to Big Stone Gap police Lt. Matt Bishop, one home was hit for $10,000 worth of jewelry and other items.

“In the second burglary, which was somewhere around the 29th, they had stolen a firearm as well as a safe out of the home that had probably five or $600 in cash in it, as well as jewelry from that home as well,” Bishop said.

Bishop said they were investigating the burglaries but had no leads until Kingsport police pulled over a couple for what they believed was a stolen vehicle.

“Just a few days after the burglaries here the two suspects made it to Kingsport,” Bishop said. “They were pulled over outside of a pawn shop in Kingsport. The Kingsport Police Department officers, during their investigation of that traffic stop, recovered one of the pistols that had been stolen from one of our burglaries from the female suspect’s jacket pocket, as well as some jewelry that had been stolen in our burglaries, was in the vehicle that they recovered.”

The suspects have been identified as 50-year-old Chad Everette Bowman and 47-year-old Brilla Wade.

Wade was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property and drug paraphernalia because police say she took responsibility. But the driver, Bowman, was not because police say he was the owner of the truck.

“The gentleman who was driving the truck was actually the registered owner of the vehicle,” Kingsport officer Brandon Arnold said. “The vehicle was entered into NCIC, the National Crime Information Database. And so because it was entered in, that’s where the traffic stop originated. And then subsequently it was determined that the vehicle was actually not stolen. It was in possession of the driver and just hadn’t been removed from the system yet.”

Bishop believes the suspects are also responsible for similar crimes across Southwest Virginia.

“Right now we’ve uncovered six homes, which is a combination of Wise county, Lee County, Big Stone Gap,” Bishop said. “There’s some leads about maybe a burglary in Scott County, too, that may involve the same individuals.”

Bishop told News Channel 11 they are looking for Bowman and thinks there may be others involved but said the community should not be alarmed.

“They know that they’re wanted. They know that the jig is up, so to speak,” Bishop said. “But as far as any real fear of these individuals continuing what they’ve been doing, I feel like we have probably stopped that.”

Big Stone Gap police have already obtained multiple felony and misdemeanor charges against Bowman but his current location is unknown. Anyone with information on his whereabouts can anonymously contact police by calling 276-328-3756.