Investigators are working to determine whether two men charged in connection with nearly two dozen Walton County auto break-ins could be linked to similar crimes across metro Atlanta.
Deputies arrested one of the men in Gwinnett County this week, but authorities are still searching for a 23-year-old suspect, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Police arrested Terriontae Robinson during a traffic stop on U.S. 78 in Snellville. Inside his car, they reportedly found several firearms and various other items reported stolen in the string of Loganville break-ins, Channel 2 reported.
Homeowner Fred Kell told the news station he and his wife woke up Tuesday morning to find all three of their vehicles had been rifled through overnight. His wife’s purse was missing along with about $500 in gift cards, he said.
“All the glove compartments and everything were wide open,” Kell said. “We’ve been here 14 years and we’ve never had any type of crime that I know of.”
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office said 23 unlocked vehicles were entered at three neighborhoods on Broadnax Mill Road that morning.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Walton County deputies said a neighbor’s surveillance system captured the suspects’ license plate and led to Robinson’s capture.
After his arrest, deputies searched Robinson’s home and reportedly found items stolen during the overnight Loganville break-ins as well as other items reported stolen from other metro Atlanta cities, Walton sheriff’s Capt. Kirk McLeroy said.
Georgia Department of Corrections records show that Robinson, who was born in 1989, was on parole after being released from a Bulloch County prison in May for a string of Forsyth County auto break-ins. Records show he had been in prison for nearly six months.
The other man in the surveillance video is allegedly 23-year-old Cedric Smith of Lawrenceville, authorities said. Deputies are still searching for him.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
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