Employee from suddenly shuttered Marietta body shop talks

MARIETTA, Ga. - A Marietta auto body shop shut down leaving customers scrambling to find their vehicles. And now a former employee speaks to the FOX 5 I-Team. 

Cobb County police reports from customers of Auto Innovations started flooding in mid-February. People left their cars at the auto body shop for repair, but the company just disappeared. Well, auto body technician Brian Harper says since then he has been trying to track down his pricey tools.

He explains how he discovered the shop was shuttered. He said he called in sick a few days to his job at Auto Innovations. He thought maybe he had COVID-19. But he didn't. He got the negative results Feb. 5. Relieved, he called his boss Shelly Jackson with the good news, he said.

"I sent the results to Shelly, and she never mentioned this was going on," he added.

What was going on? She was being evicted from the Canton Road business location. According to Cobb County magistrate court records, Shelley Jackson was to be out the next day, Feb. 6.

Harper said he got a call from a friend who had driven by Auto Innovations. There appeared to be a big move going on. "And he said, 'Hey, you know they're loading up all your tools?'' I said, 'no, I didn't know that.' I reached out, texted, called, no answer."

And so his journey to track down his expensive tools began much like the customers who tried to find their vehicles.

Tracy Lewis's case is one of a number of Cobb County police reports. Much like Harper's situation, she told police she drove by the shop and what she saw surprised her. It had a make-over.

"There had to be about 50 to 80 cars out there. All of the cars are gone," she said.

The Auto Innovations website says, it has "MOVED." But it doesn't say where. It's been eight weeks now. This location is now sold, with a new name, and new management. The Fox 5 I-Team has reached out to Ms. Jackson about an update but have not heard back.

Brian Harper was able to track down a lot of his tools from persistent texting to his boss. Total left behind, he said, is about "$33,000." He estimates an outstanding amount of about "$7,000."

His texts show that Brian asked Shelly Jackson to give him the rest of his supplies. She said she'd leave them at the old shop with the new owner. He said no, but she did it anyway, sending a photo showing their location.

"She said she set it inside the fence over here," he said taking us to the old shop with new ownership. 

The FOX 5 I-Team went with him to find his specialized expensive gear. It wasn't here. Or behind the shop. We even looked in windows. The new shop owner put his things inside the shop for the weekend for safety. 

Persistence also paid off for Tracy Lewis. She said police helped her negotiate the return of her car, but the drop-off was odd.

"My car is literally catty corner in my driveway. No one knocked on the door," she said standing in her driveway. The keys, she told me, were found in a flower pot. 

Meantime, Brian Harper is still trying to tie up loose ends so that he can move on.

"We haven't even got our tax information. And the thing is I'm not getting an 'I don't need you; I can't use you; Here's your paperwork.'"

Which means, he still can't file for unemployment. 

Again, the old Auto Innovations location has new ownership and a new business going in. No one there today is responsible for any missing vehicles. 

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