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DeKalb County residents ‘shaken’ after brazen pair of mid-day burglaries

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Published  December 11, 2024 11:07pm EST
DeKalb County
FOX 5 Atlanta

Burglars target two Decatur homes, police say

DeKalb County police are looking into a pair of break-ins they say happened in broad daylight in Decatur on Tuesday. One homeowner caught a glimpse of a thief on her Ring Doorbell camera.

The Brief

    • Two burglaries occurred on Miriam Court in Decatur, leaving homeowners shaken and police investigating.
    • Homeowner Katie Carpenter's residence was ransacked, with valuables like a Rolex, an Xbox, and a safe with documents stolen.
    • Burglars forced entry through a back window, leaving the home in disarray with furniture overturned.
    • A doorbell camera captured a young-looking suspect in a hoodie, who commented on a barking dog, suggesting prior surveillance of the home.
    • Carpenter's family is staying in an Airbnb for safety, grateful no one was home during the incident.

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - What many would consider the season of giving, burglars in a Decatur neighborhood saw as an opportunity for taking. Now, DeKalb County police are investigating a pair of break-ins they say happened on Miriam Court on Tuesday afternoon.

"They didn’t just take our items, they took our sense of security and that is intangible," homeowner Katie Carpenter told FOX 5. "It’s the time of year when you want to cuddle up at home and home doesn’t feel so safe right now."

Carpenter says she was only gone for a few hours when she got a notification from her ring app that a stranger was at her front door.

She’s now hoping someone will recognize the person she believes ransacked their home.

"We live on a really quiet street and nothing like this has ever happened," she said.

Cellphone video captured some of the chaos left behind after crooks forced their way into the home through a back window.

A firearm and ammo, electronics and jewelry including a Rolex watch were among the items missing. 

"Our bedroom was a disaster, a bed was flipped upside down, our office…things were missing and stolen," she explained. "They took a good amount of valuables, an Xbox, they also took a safe that had all of our documents in it."

Carpenter says her doorbell camera captured one individual in a hoodie.

"What’s upsetting is that in the videos they look so young," she said.

The homeowner says even more upsetting—the chilling words he uttered at the sound of her dog barking.

"They made a comment in the video that ‘this must be the wrong address, I don’t remember them having a dog’…it had me thinking back a couple of weeks ago, we came back home and a door in the basement was open, which was really weird," she recalled.

While she says she’s grateful her one-year-old daughter and husband weren’t home, they are still shaken by the break-in and staying at an Airbnb.

DeKalb County police say investigators are looking into this case. If you have any information, give detectives a call.

The Source: FOX 5's Joi Dukes spoke with the homeowner who reported the crime and the DeKalb County Police Department.

DeKalb CountyNewsCrime and Public Safety