A Gwinnett County man is facing felony burglary charges after police say he stole construction supplies from houses at one construction site to help build homes at another.
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Marlon Urbina, 49, was arrested after investigators said they tied him to a theft at a housing construction site in Lilburn on Annsbury Court.
According to Lilburn Police, the case began when an employee arrived on the morning of April 16 and discovered approximately $5,000 worth of materials missing from the property.
“The construction superintendent found that they were missing a lot of windows and doors that were slated for use in the new townhomes,” said Capt. Scott Bennett with the Lilburn Police Department.
Investigators reviewed surveillance video and city traffic camera footage and quickly identified a white Ford Expedition towing a trailer, loaded with window frames. Bennett said the images were clear enough to put out a lookout for the vehicle.
“You could see it plain as day on the traffic cameras,” he said.
The next day, an officer spotted the SUV and trailer parked outside city limits at another townhome complex. Inside one of the units, they found Urbina and a small stash of construction materials.
“He was paid to go to different sites that had been identified by the person who paid him to pick up these doors and windows,” Bennett said. “At some point during the process of doing that, he stated that he realized that what he was doing was wrong, and that’s why he confessed.”
When detectives informed Urbina he was under arrest, Bennett said, the cooperation stopped. While some stolen items were recovered, many are still missing.
“He had a little bit stored in the townhouse but not everything that was taken,” Bennett said.
Authorities believe Urbina was working for someone else who hasn’t yet been identified.
“He did all of that at the behest of a third party that he met up here at our Walmart,” Bennett said.
Police say construction site thefts like this are part of a larger issue across metro Atlanta, where stolen materials are often resold or repurposed at other job sites.
Urbina remains in custody without bond, facing three counts of felony burglary. Anyone with information about the case or the unidentified individual behind the thefts is urged to contact Lilburn Police.
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