Homeowner says intruders threw party

NEWTON COUNTY, Ga.,None — A Newton county man says while he was out of town, a group of young intruders broke into his home, threw a birthday party and even washed a dog in his bathroom.

The sheriff's office is now investigating, but they have a pretty good idea who the intruders are since they took pictures of themselves and left a camera behind.

Roderick Ward said when he got home after being gone for more than 10 days, he immediately knew someone had been inside since his outside AC unit was on, and he leaves it off.

"I was in saying ‘hello, hello' is anyone in here?" said Ward

Ward said no one was inside then, but the people who were before …didn't do much to cover up their break-in. They even used his toiletries.

"They had brushed their teeth with the new toothbrush travel kit that I had with dental floss and everything and combed their hair. The hair was right there," said Ward as he pointed to his bathroom counter.

As Ward kept walking around his house, he went to the other bathroom where he found a dog collar on the toilet seat. "There was dog hair everywhere so I was like, 'Somebody done wash the dog in my house!' I just couldn't believe it," Ward said.

In his kitchen, he found a birthday cake. That's when he called the Newton County Sheriff's Office.

"They just helped themselves to whatever he had at the residence to eat," Lt. Mark Mitchell told Channel 2 Action Reporter Craig Lucie.

Investigators said the intruders also helped themselves to one of several of Ward's cameras. "I got the camera, and I started going through the camera and I see the pictures of the people who were in the house," said Ward.

Roderick Ward said he noticed a couple of teenagers and another child who he says couldn't be older than 8.

The Newton County Sheriff's office is contacting their parents. Ward said he is just glad he didn't come home late at night.

"Anything could have went bad. Somebody catches someone in your house, anything could have happened," Ward told Lucie.

Ward said he was missing two cameras and all of his spare keys. Most of it has now been returned. After finding out that the young intruders live nearby and their parents apologized, he does not plan on pressing charges.

WSBTV