NORCROSS, Ga. — Police in Norcross say security cameras captured two suspects stealing lawn equipment from a city facility, leaving taxpayers among the latest victims.
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Investigators say, despite cameras positioned around the property, two people broke into the Public Works building on Lively Avenue and stole thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment.
Norcross Public Works employees arrived to find a fence cut and more than $8,500 worth of taxpayer-funded landscape equipment missing.
Police say the theft happened on Feb. 6. Investigators say the two suspects made multiple trips in the dark to clear out a storage cage.
Authorities have charged Juawn Burdette and Quanesha Dill in connection with the case. Police say Burdette was already wanted in Forsyth County for landscaping theft when he was arrested last week by DeKalb County police on separate theft charges.
It’s unclear what happened to the stolen equipment.
Small business owners say thefts like this are becoming more common.
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Jarvis Drake and Diamond Owens, co-owners of Drake Lawn Care in metro Atlanta, who are not connected to this case, say they know firsthand how damaging equipment theft can be. The pair lost their own gear to thieves two years ago.
“Sometimes you’ll come back to your trailer, equipment or piece of equipment could be gone,” Owens said.
Drake says they’ve since taken extra precautions.
“We actually got AirTags on all of our equipment, our mowers, our trailer,” Drake said. “I would highly recommend that everybody get trackers on their equipment.”
Mary Kay Woodworth, executive director of the Georgia Urban Agriculture Council, says landscape gear thefts are on the rise because the equipment is easy to resell.
“They may not be getting more than $10 to $15,” Woodworth said, “but when you have the quantity of equipment being stolen, it adds up.”
Business owners say this time of year is especially risky.
“This is primetime thievery season right now,” Drake said.
Both suspects remain in custody, facing charges.
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