Two suspected metal thieves are in custody after an alert neighbor noticed a suspicious vehicle parked at a neighbor’s house.
 
Just after 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, a neighbor saw two individuals taking items from a house on Lake Capri Drive and decided to confront them about it. The alert neighbor asked the two males what they were doing at the residence and was not satisfied with the answers given and decided to call 9-1-1.  By the time the neighbor was able to return outside to check on the two they had driven off, but the neighbor did give a description of the vehicle, an older model brown Ford Bronco, to 9-1-1 dispatchers.
 
As deputies responded and began clearing the residence, they noticed holes in the wall and copper pipes missing.  At that time, one deputy decided to go check a local metal recycling facility and found a vehicle matching the description given to dispatchers by the alert neighbor.  Both the driver and passenger of the vehicle were then detained until deputies and investigators were able to determine that the two were in fact the same individuals confronted by the neighbor.  The two individuals were then taken to the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office to be interviewed, and were later booked into the Rockdale County Jail on Burglary charges.
 
“Responding deputies did a great job of quickly assessing the scene of the burglary and deciding to check the metal recycling center for the suspects,” said Sheriff Eric Levett. “By taking that extra step, they were able locate and arrest the suspects before they were able to get away. I continue to be encouraged by alert neighbors calling in suspicious activity in their neighborhoods, and together we have made several arrests due to those efforts.”
 
The driver arrested has been identified as Joshua Lamar White, 23, of Lithonia.  The passenger arrested has been identified as Denzel Dixon, 22, of Lithonia. 

Both Dixon and White are being held without bond on Burglary charges in the Rockdale County Jail.

Investigators are looking into their metal scrapping history but they have not been charged with other metal theft incidents. "We don't think this is their first time," said Investigator Michael Camp.

About eight homes in Conyers along Eastview Road were recently broken into had had the copper pipes and wiring pulled from the interior.