GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County Police have arrested a man they say is responsible for at least 20 business burglaries across Gwinnett County since February.
King Jones, 48, was taken into custody on March 11 at a hotel off Pleasant Hill Road, according to Gwinnett County Police.
Jones, who was recently released from prison after a burglary conviction, is accused of targeting small businesses by smashing front doors with either a rock or brick.
“It’s definitely a win when he’s been arrested,” said Cpl. Juan Madiedo with Gwinnett County Police.
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One of the businesses affected was Three Leches Cafe, a six-month-old cafe on Buford Highway near Doraville. Owner Kathleen Laureano said the break-in dealt a significant financial blow.
“Total, it’s around $9,500 to $10,000 that we had to invest after his break-in,” Laureano said. “It really hurt me a lot.”
Surveillance video captured a man throwing a brick through the cafe’s window to steal the cash register on March 1.
At Talay Thai Cuisine, another targeted establishment near Suwanee, police say Jones threw a rock through the window and took the register within seconds this month.
Jones is accused of committing burglaries in Duluth, Suwanee, and in unincorporated Gwinnett County. He had the three police agencies on his tail until his arrest. Investigators used surveillance videos, Flock cameras, and door-to-door canvassing to find him.
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“It’s vital that departments are able to communicate with each other, share information, share BOLOs,” Cpl. Madiedo said.
Jones was out on parole after a 2019 conviction for burglary in Gwinnett County, according to records with Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Following the burglary, Laureano expressed relief that there has been an arrest. She also upgraded security measures, relocated cash, and remains determined to succeed.
“It absolutely changes the procedures that we take and especially when it comes to money that’s in our cash register,” she said.
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