Cobb County

Officers investigating if high-end burglaries in 3 metro counties are connected

Several different police departments are investigating high-end burglaries.

The crimes are happening when the homeowner is not there.

Channel 2′s Michele Newell has learned this is a problem across three counties: Cobb, Fulton, and Gwinnett.

Investigators told Newell they are trying to determine if the cases are connected.

Newell obtained 17 pages of crime reports from various burglaries that happened across Cobb County. In one case, $1 million worth of jewelry was stolen.

Similar burglaries are happening beyond Cobb County. While there isn’t evidence that ties them together, police say the similarities are way too consistent to ignore.

Jeff Arnold and his neighbors in the Anderson Farms subdivision said they are on guard.

“We are not happy about it of course. People are nervous and there’s a lot of fear,” Arnold said.

He is also the president of the homeowners association there.

“My neighbor here close by, they were only out for a couple of hours, so how in the world did these people know that they were not home?” Arnold said.

Marietta police are investigating the string of high-end burglaries.

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“They appear to be approaching homes that are all unoccupied. They are coming in the evening hours. They are getting in and out without often being noticed,” said Marietta Police Public Information Officer Chuck McPhilamy.

The most recent one happened in April on Tate Overlook. About $10,000 worth of jewelry was stolen.

“Our particular city has had four incidents over roughly the last six months,” McPhilamy said.

Cobb County police are investigating similar burglaries.

“The homes were larger homes with a lot of jewelry or high-end merchandise,” said Sgt. Wayne Delk with the Cobb County Police Department.

That is a common theme tied to a crimethat goes beyond Cobb County.

“I can tell you that specifically, I know that we have worked with Gwinnett,” McPhilamy said.

Police believe the suspects are a part of a sophisticated crew communicating with each other well in advance.

In some cases, fingerprints aren’t detected because the suspects wear gloves.

“The biggest thing we want to stress is if you’ve got an alarm system, use it. Because we’ve had burglaries where the homeowner didn’t turn their alarm on,” Delk said.

Cobb County police made an arrest in one of the cases last week and officers are ramping up patrols in certain neighborhoods.

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Michele Newell

Michele Newell, WSB-TV Cobb County Bureau Chief

Michele Newell is a three-time Emmy award-winning reporter. She joined the WSB-TV team as a general assignment reporter in November 2021. She was promoted to Cobb County Bureau Chief five months later

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