For the second time in two days, police have announced the arrest of a suspect allegedly involved in either stealing or damaging air conditioning units to get copper for resale.
The Marietta Police Department said Wednesday it has charged a suspect in connection with stealing air-conditioning units from Roswell Street Baptist Church.
Kittrell Hawthorne, 34, of Marietta faces theft, obstruction and traffic-related charges and is being held in the Cobb County Jail.
Police said officers responded to a report of a theft in progress at the church, 774 Roswell St., at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. They said Hawthorne had just loaded two air-conditioning units valued at more than $10,000 into a blue Ford Expedition.
A vehicle chase followed, but no suspect was taken into custody at that time. Marietta detectives later identified Hawthorne as a suspect and found the air-conditioning units in the vehicle.
Authorities said Hawthorne so far has not been linked to other copper-related thefts.
Metro Atlanta thieves have targeted churches, vacant and foreclosed homes, businesses and schools to steal copper tubing, which is resold at a fraction of the cost it takes to replace the AC units.
On Tuesday, Hall County investigators arrested a Gainesville man and a juvenile in the theft of copper tubing from Sugar Hill Elementary school.
James Blake Wingo, 21, of Gainesville, and the unidentified juvenile were charged with felony theft by taking, criminal damage and possession of tools of a crime.
Investigators said the theft occurred overnight Monday and was discovered Tuesday morning. Eleven commercial air-conditioning units on the roof of the Athens Highway school were damaged, and the copper was removed. Total damage was estimated at $75,000 to $100,000.
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