Thieves steal cross, communion kit from priest

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga.,None — Several car break-ins have a community on alert and ready to take action.

Thieves are targeting the Northlake area near Briarcliff Road in DeKalb County.  Police said in most cases, the car doors were locked.

Police reports showed that in the past ten days there have been several car break-ins in the same area.  One victim included State Rep. Scott Holcomb.

"My neighbors have been hit, I was hit," said Holcomb.

He said the thieves took a DVD player, an iPhone charger and his GPS.

"I left the suction device on the windshield.  I guess they knew I had one.  It was hidden, but I made a mistake there," said Holcomb.

Thieves also broke into a priest's car in the Briarcliff Commons subdivision.  They took his robes and blessing cross worth several hundred dollars, and they took a briefcase holding a silver communion kit worth $1,000.

A police service volunteer said neighbors can cut down on opportunities for thieves.

"People leave just a cord from a machine.  Well if I can see the cord then I know there's something in there.  So I'm going after it if I'm a bad guy," said Grant Knox.

"That sense of security is really shattered and hopefully we can catch these people," said Holcomb.

Holcomb said he is planning to have police officers come to a town hall meeting on Jan. 5 to talk more about what victims can do to stay safe.

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WSBTV