Man carrying hatchet burglarizes Marietta Fire Museum

MARIETTA, Ga. — The Marietta Police Department is investigating a burglary that happened inside the Marietta Fire Museum on Thursday morning.

Mjiti Whitlow is accused of vandalizing some displays inside the museum and an antique ride for children.

“He damaged and moved a lot of the displays on our upper level and tossed large items onto the railing and onto our lower museum level as well. This is our first, as far as I know, our first time being vandalized,” said Steve Dau, Deputy Fire Marshal for the City of Marietta Fire Department.

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Police arrested Whitlow outside the fire department and transported him to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.

Whitlow is charged with Burglary and Criminal Damage to property.

Firefighters spent their Thursday afternoon clearing out all of the damage, but they are thankful Whitlow left the department’s prized possessions untouched.

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The history inside the Marietta Fire Museum dates back to 1854 and the museum is free to all visitors. The antique ride for children is damaged, but it still works. The museum will reopen on Friday morning.

“We have vehicles that truly are irreplaceable that are specific to Marietta. I was thankful to arrive to see none of these were damaged. This is the only time this has happened we are going to have to take a very good look at how the individual gained access to our museum,” said Dau.

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