COVINGTON, Ga. — Sheriff's deputies were investigating this week after thieves worked early Saturday morning to steal three vehicles and take numerous valuables from unlocked cars and trucks in neighborhoods throughout unincorporated Newton County.
Thieves stole a car and two SUVs and entered unlocked vehicles to take items ranging from a handgun to purses containing credit cards.
A Port Orange, Florida, man told a deputy that sometime early Saturday someone took the man's 2022 Jaguar XJL from the driveway of a residence he was visiting on Milton Drive.
Items inside the vehicle included two Dell laptop computers, a Louis Vuitton purse, a pair of Air Jordan shoes, and golf shoes and a set of Callaway golf clubs.
"The complainant advised he was not sure if it was locked or not, but he did have the key in his pocket. He also stated him and his wife came in late that evening to their friend's house from Florida," the report stated.
"There were video cameras on the residence, but they were unable to operate them and does not know if they even work," the deputy reported.
The report listed the vehicle's value at $20,000, though online sources stated a new Jaguar XJL would cost $86,000 to $90,000.
In another incident, a woman told a deputy Saturday morning that her white GMC Terrain SUV was missing from the driveway of a residence on Saddle Lane in south Newton.
She told a deputy she last saw the vehicle Friday around 10 p.m., the report stated.
"The victim stated she rushed into the house and left the vehicle (unlocked) with her wallet and cell phone still inside the vehicle. The victim stated her key to the vehicle was inside her wallet along with other identifying documents. The victim stated she forgot to go back out to secure the vehicle," the report said.
The deputy also reported the SUV theft victim said she was canceling her debit and credit cards and noticed a transaction for $24.75 that was made at a BP gas station in Decatur Saturday around 5 a.m.
The victim also stated someone attempted to use the card at a McDonald's restaurant in Ellenwood around 6 a.m. but Capital One "had already flagged the card," the report stated.
Meanwhile, a neighbor of the SUV theft victim on Saddle Lane approached the deputy to show video footage of what appeared to be two men wearing gloves and exiting a black, four-door sedan Saturday at about 4 a.m.
The video showed the men approaching the (neighbor's) vehicle with a flashlight Saturday at about 4 a.m. but "the two male suspects retreated back to the sedan after realizing there were no valuables inside the vehicle."
The neighbor did not request a report because nothing was damaged or taken. but the deputy asked for a copy of the video footage "for further investigation."
At the same location in a different incident, a woman told a deputy someone entered her Jeep Cherokee and stole her daughter's wallet from the center console containing a driver's license, prepaid debit card and about $5 cash.
"The complainant stated they were notified by other neighbors of similar incidents around noon and discovered the driver side door ajar while checking the vehicle. The complainant stated she does not recall if the door was locked. The complainant stated her Ring doorbell is not currently working."
In another part of the county, a vehicle was reported stolen from a residence on Alison Trail near Dixie Road in east Newton.
The victim stated the family's 2020 Ford Expedition SUV was stolen from their property Saturday at about 3:30 a.m. The vehicle also had an iPhone 11 valued at $300, and a child safety seat valued at $50, a report stated.
In the same area of east Newton, a man reported a Glock G43 semiautomatic 9mm pistol valued at $530 was stolen from his Ford F250 truck parked at a residence on Anna Road sometime between Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 4:30 a.m.
And nearby on Oakridge Drive, a woman told a deputy she left a 2016 Nissan Rogue unlocked and a purse containing notepads with personal passwords, credit cards, a Gizno watch and the keys to the vehicle were taken sometime between Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 10:40 a.m.
"Complainant stated that several credit cards was missing but could not provide type at this time. Complainant did not have surveillance system on location."
She also stated a transaction of $200 was pending on her American Express card for a transaction made in Decatur near the Flat Shoals Road area.
