Crime & Safety

Sheriff's Office Nabs Cat Burglar

A 22-year-old man is in jail after being charged with burglarizing homes and cars in two south Forsyth County subdivisions.

A Glencree subdivision wife who was woken up by the noise of a door opening is likely glad to hear investigators have arrested a man they believe broke into the family home very early Tuesday morning, Feb. 6.

The man who the sheriff's office says has gang-related ties has been charged with burglarizing not just the Wicklow Court home, but also a car and another family home in Aberdeen subdivision the day before.

Both families probably are making sure all of their doors and windows are locked, as authorities believe the suspect entered the homes and cars through unlocked doors.

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Julian Estevan Mora-Ruiz, 22, of Cameron Bridge Way in Alpharetta, was arrested on Feb. 7 by Forsyth investigators within 12 hours after the burglaries were reported.

Sheriff Ted Paxton said Mora-Ruiz is believed to be a member of the SUR 13 gang. He is currently in the after being charged with three counts of burglary and five counts of entering an auto.

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According to Sheriff Paxton, deputies responded to the 4000 block of Wicklow Court in the Glencree subdivision in south Forsyth County around 4:43 a.m. on Feb. 6 to a burglary in progress call. Upon their arrival, the husband told deputies that his wife woke him up after she heard a door open and saw a hallway light on. The husband started checking the home and found a man crouched down in the corner of the front bedroom of the home. When the suspect saw the husband, he jumped up and ran, escaping out of an open bedroom window. He then ran down the driveway and disappeared.

“Deputies searched the residence and the grounds with the assistance of a K-9. Two foot prints were found just outside of the window where the victim escaped the residence,” Sheriff Paxton said.

However, the burglar was not caught at that time. Sheriff's investigators believe the burglar entered the home through an unlocked back door.

The suspect apparently didn't let nearly being caught stop him. At about 9:30 that same morning, deputies responded to a call in the 4000 block of Dorset Lane in the Aberdeen subdivision also in south Forsyth of a reported burglary. The residents of this home said that sometime between 11 p.m. on Feb. 5 and 7 a.m. that morning, someone had entered their home and two vehicles while they were asleep. First the suspect entered the homeowner’s truck and then entered their daughter's vehicle. The garage door opener was missing from his daughter’s vehicle. Both vehicles were unlocked.

While the home may have been locked, with the garage door opener investigators believe the burglar was able to enter the home. Several credit cards and $300 in cash were taken from a purse and a deposit bag of one of the residents. The homeowners found the purse lying on the floor when they awoke. Also taken was a Dell laptop computer. The residents also noticed that their flat screen TV in the living room was tampered with and the speaker had been taken down from the wall above it.

“Thanks to the abilities of our crime scene unit and investigators – we were able to gather information that tied these two incidents together and we made an arrest quickly,” said Sheriff Paxton.

Sheriff Paxton added that at this time “we have been unable to establish a link between this crime and the perpetrator’s gang membership. However, this crime raises our awareness that this type of intruder is willing to risk confrontation. With confrontation, there is the opportunity for the situation to escalate to a violent act.”

The investigation is continuing with information being shared with surrounding jurisdictions.

Sheriff Paxton urges citizens to take precautions by insuring that their doors, windows and vehicles are locked.

“Also, don’t leave valuables in plain sight in your vehicles, remove your garage door openers, and consider installing motion lights. If you have an alarm system, use it.”


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