Renters at metro storage facility left confused after finding locks cut off, items tossed into piles

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — People who rent units at a local storage facility claim they are out tens of thousands of dollars after someone cut off their locks and stole their items.

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden went out to the facility on Municipal Parkway in Douglasville after Channel 2 Action News receive calls from multiple renters.

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From NewsDrone 2, you can see the mess left behind at the Douglasville storage facility where several renters woke up Monday morning to find their personal and professional belongings thrown around like piles of garbage.

“I got here first thing this morning and it was my unit, was just about a total loss,” Harley Moreci said.

“Everything in it gone?” Seiden asked.

“If it wasn’t gone, it was left out and soaking in the rain,” Moreci said.

Other renters told Channel 2 how they rushed there to find the locks cut off their units and items taken from the property.

“I’m devastated by that,” Gary Brown said.

But it’s not just frustration. There’s also a lot of confusion. The renters that Seiden spoke with said that a demolition crew is behind what happened. The renters claim the property owners hired the crew to renovate the facility without warning.

They reached out to corporate for answers.

“They told me there was a break in and 14 units were hit and the sheriff’s office was called and they were told there was nothing that could be done,” Moreci said.

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Channel 2 Action News reached out to corporate and a spokeswoman told us that she and her company are working with local police. But the renters call those claims false. They also pointed out a notice issued by the county.

According to the notice, the construction company did not have a permit to perform this work.

“This is our livelihood and we use these storage to sell our inventory at flea markets,” Brown said.

The spokeswoman for the company that owns the units told Seiden that her team is working on a full statement and will send it to us as soon as it’s done.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to Douglasville police and received the following from a spokesperson on Tuesday morning.

“Our detectives have determined that this is a contract dispute (civil matter) between the storage unit management and the contractor they hired to demo the place. Therefore, we are not investigating a burglary.”

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