Alleged serial wallet thief jailed in Cobb

The woman police say has pulled off a string of wallet thefts is now accused of doing the same thing at a second Cobb County school.

Teresa Lynn Owens, 44, entered Cooper Middle School in Austell on May 7 and stole a teacher’s purse, according to her arrest warrant. From the school, she apparently went to two nearby grocery stores and used the teacher’s credit cards, police say.

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Cobb County sheriff's department

Teresa Owens has followed a similar routine in all of the thefts she’s accused of, according to police. She simply walks into a school, passes the front desk, and finds an empty classroom. Once in the room, she looks for a purse or wallet.

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Owens, most recently of Mableton, purchased items such as cigarettes, magazines and gift cards from Kroger and Publix, according to the warrant.

The latest accusations come just days after Owens was arrested for previous warrants in Cobb County. According to the Cobb County Sheriff’s Department web site, Owens is wanted on unspecified charges in Forsyth and Fulton counties.

Owens apparently was in the Savannah area until she recently returned to Cobb County, according to police.

Owens is also wanted in Hall County for at least a dozen charges, according to Detective Danny Sridej with the Oakwood police department.

Owens has followed a similar routine in all of the thefts she’s accused of, according to police. She simply walks into a school, passes the front desk, and finds an empty classroom. Once in the room, she looks for a purse or wallet, Sridej said.

Sridej was key to helping the Cobb schools police identify Owens as the suspect in two thefts in the south Cobb area. He saw a picture of Owens taken from a surveillance camera on television news and called Cobb officials. Sridej said he knew Owens’ face from the crimes she’s accused of committing in Hall County.

In April, Cobb police say Owens entered Skyview Elementary School in Mableton, entered an empty classroom and stole a teacher’s wallet.

Stridej said Owens stole credit cards from an employee at Marantha Christian Academy in February and Oakwood Elementary School in March. She was later arrested at a Home Depot in Flowery Branch, but served only a few days.

Owen’s other charges in Cobb involve the February thefts of two wallets from a church. Owens is accused of entering the choir suite of Mt. Harmony Baptist Church during the worship service and taking two wallets.

Credit cards from those two wallets were later used at nearby stores, according to police.

Owens is being held in the Cobb County jail without bond. A court date is pending.