When a Dunwoody janitor recently noticed a U-Haul truck shipping HVAC units away from townhomes that were under construction, he thought something was up.
Police said his hunch turned out to be right.
The man, who works at a doctor’s office near the scene, followed the truck and led police to it, Channel 2 Action News reported.
They arrested one suspect, Jerome Troutman, on three charges each of burglary and theft by taking.
Police allege that Troutman and one other person targeted the townhomes just before 6 a.m. on Jan. 18 and stole HVAC units and furnaces.
“(The witness) thought it was strange,” Dunwoody police spokesman Sgt. Robert Parsons told the news station. “He immediately realized something wasn't right and went to follow them, at which time one of the suspects physically blocked him from following the truck.”
But the man persisted, Parsons told Channel 2.
“He went to turn around when he found the truck again. He followed it to a location in Sandy Springs, all the time on the phone with 911, where our officers located the suspect vehicle with the stolen property in it and took one person into custody,” he said.
Investigators are still looking for the second suspect.
They warned builders and construction sites to secure their equipment overnight.
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