Woman posing as dental assistant steals from employees, police say

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The search is on for a woman who posed as a patient and a dental assistant and went through people’s belonging while they were in the dentist chair, police say.

Channel 2's Michael Seiden spoke with one of the victims, who said the thief the walked right into the office and began stealing credit cards and cash from unsuspecting employees.

Amie Clonce said she was in the middle of her workday Friday at Dental TLC in Sandy Springs when she accidentally bumped into the alleged thief, who was captured on surveillance video.

“I was like, ‘Excuse me. I’m so sorry,’” Clonce said.

She told Seiden she initially thought the woman was a patient.

“She almost looked like she was looking for the bathroom,” Clonce said.

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But shortly after that encounter, Clonce would learn that the unfamiliar person posing as a patient wasn't there to get her teeth cleaned, but instead was busy cleaning out the employees’ purses.

“I saw that my cash was there. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s weird. I’m missing a credit card. Oh wait, I’m missing two credit cards,’” Clonce told Seiden.

Surveillance cameras later showed the woman dressed in scrubs going from room to room, rummaging through purses and wallets.

At one point in the video, you can see the woman checking her surroundings before she heads back into a room for more.

“She was kind of rummaging through things, and a patient said, ‘Excuse me, what are you doing?’ She just left because she was trying to take the purse,” Clonce said.

That's when Clonce said the woman left in a car.

Investigators said they believe the woman may be responsible for several additional thefts in the area.

“So, when the officers came in and took our information, they said that this has actually happened in a medical office really close to this area and they think it’s a ring or (the) same people running an area,” Clonce said.

Seiden contacted Sandy Springs police on Friday, but a spokesman told him no one would be available to speak with him about the case until Monday.

Clonce told Seiden that management is now installing lockers inside the office so patients and employees can lock up their belongings.

Cox Media Group