20 indicted in massive burglary ring
♦ The Floyd County DA will prosecute the multi-county case.
Twenty men were indicted on charges of stealing or damaging over $1.35 million worth of property in a string of commercial burglaries across the state.
While the investigation that eventually tied the string of burglaries together originated in Floyd County, the charges — which are being prosecuted under the state racketeering statute — stem from crimes across northern and middle Georgia.
Most of the entries were done in one of two methods: cutting a hole in the wall of the store with a sledgehammer and concrete saw or using a crowbar to break in through the front door.
“The enterprise burgled various businesses utilizing a crowbar crew and sledgehammer crew,” the indictment filed in Floyd Superior Court states. “Each associate of the enterprise had a certain role, but these roles were interchangeable amongst the associates and incidents depending on the needs of the enterprise.”
The case began after a series of burglaries in Floyd County, all of which followed an almost identical pattern. Floyd County Police Capt. Brandon Robinson, who headed up the yearlong investigation, reached out to surrounding counties to see if they had similar cases. They did.
Soon they began to find break-ins using similar methods throughout the state, over 160 of them from December 2015 to 2017, according to the indictment.
Several of the local burglaries linked to the overall case include Chuck’s Corner on Christmas Eve 2015; Shannon Grocery on Sept. 28, 2016; GNC Grocery on Oct. 8, 2016; E-Z Stop convenience store on Rockmart Highway, June 16, 2016; the Southern Pride Food Mart on Martha Berry Highway, Sept. 3, 2016; and Mr. C’s convenience store on Martha Berry Highway, Sept. 14, 2016.
The burglaries in Floyd County are only a small slice of the pie. From Athens to Perry to Hartwell to Dawsonville, the list of affected businesses ranges through metro Atlanta as well as north and central Georgia.
Robinson said earlier that a task force was formed and the defendants, members of several street gangs, were all from the Oakland City neighborhood in Southwest Atlanta.
Terry Wheeler, Travis Tucker, Tecorey Johnson, Rahmon Cain, Quinton Tucker, Mario Pass, Larry Johnson, Labrinzo Matthews, Justin Stephens, Jepaul Adams, Henrico Hayes, Gary Stephens, Deonta Evans, D’anthony Brown, Artis Murphy, Marquis Brooks, Narraton Brooks, Jamarqua Cephus, Cavario Major and Horace Jenkins all face RICO and burglary charges.
Many of the men were arrested in 2017 and 2019 in other parts of the state and then transported to Floyd County Jail and released on bond.
The multi-district case is being prosecuted by the Floyd County District Attorney’s Office.