MARIETTA, Ga. - Two Lawrenceville residents are heading to jail after admitting to hundreds of vehicle break-ins and thefts that targeted firefighters across metro Atlanta.
According to the Cobb district attorney’s office, Ayana Dayshina Forest, 22, and Elisha Howard Ross, 26, each entered guilty pleas to two counts of racketeering and 46 counts of entering auto for the crimes that occurred from January to June of 2017.
Cobb and Smyrna detectives worked with law enforcement agencies across 17 counties to track down the perpetrators.
According to police, the pair worked at night, mostly targeting personal vehicles belonging to firefighters that were parked at fire stations. Evidence showed Forest was the driver and would drop Ross off near a fire station, circling back to pick him up a few minutes later.
Ross usually used a tool to quickly break the window of a vehicle in order to search through glove compartments and other areas inside the vehicles. The two communicated by cell phone during the crimes.
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The thieves hit 52 fire stations, one ambulance service, and the Smyrna headquarters of Glock Inc., as well as automobiles parked at 11 residences near an Acworth fire station. The thieves broke into more than 200 vehicles throughout metro Atlanta over six months.
A total of 59 firearms were stolen out of the vehicles, and most of those were then sold on the street. Two of the stolen firearms were found in the suspects’ possession, and another firearm was recovered at the scene of a DeKalb County shooting.
The thieves also took cash, headphones, laptops, and other valuables from the vehicles.
Ross has been sentenced to 20 years, with 10 years to serve in prison and the balance on probation, and ordered him to pay $8,920 in restitution.
Forest was sentenced to 15 years, with seven years to serve in custody and the rest on probation. She was also ordered to pay $8,920 in restitution.
Here's a list of the fire stations that were hit:
- Alpharetta Fire Stations 81 and 86
- Bartow County Fire Station 13
- Cartersville Fire Station 2
- Clayton County Fire Stations 14, 8, 9
- Cobb County Fire Stations 30, 6, 23, 28,
- Coweta County Fire Stations 16, 12, 5, 8
- Dawson County Fire Station 1
- Douglas County Fire Station 7
- Forsyth County Fire Stations 10, 3, 4, 7, 1
- Gwinnett County Fire Stations 9, 21, 5, 31, 23, 15, 3
- Griffin Fire Stations 2, 1
- Henry County Fire Stations 12, 3, 9, 11, 6
- Newnan Fire Stations 2, 1
- Paulding County Fire Stations 9, 10
- Peachtree City Fire Station 82
- Rockdale County Fire Stations 6, 7
- Roswell Fire Stations 6, 2
- Smyrna Fire Stations 1, 5, 3, 4,
- Social Circle Fire Department
- Spalding County Fire Station 1
- Walton County Fire Station 2
