Damond Martez Cox, 34, and Derick Jomont Henry, 26, both of 19 Hidden Lake Court, Stockbridge, were charged with criminal trespass, nine counts of felony theft and damage to property, burglary, and three counts of loitering and prowling.

Police began their investigation after noticing a spike in the number of air conditioner thefts reported, said CPD spokesperson Capt. Scott Freeman. Officers set up surveillance operations around several business parks.

"Through our internal efforts, we were eventually able to identify the suspects and keep them under surveillance," wrote Freeman.

Cox and Henry were seen in the Conyers area on the night of Saturday, July 24, but officers did not find them at a specific location.

When missing and damaged air conditioners were reported the following Monday, detectives, with the help of Henry County police, obtained a warrant and searched the Stockbridge home of Cox and Henry. There they found air conditioner parts, tools, two sawed-off shotguns and a handgun, and salvage yard receipts.

One of the men reportedly admitted to stealing more than 500 air conditioner units over the last year.

The suspects would reportedly scout an area and come back in the early morning hours, around 2 a.m., to drop one person off. That person would reportedly cut the power strip to the units and cut the copper. The other suspect would then be called back, the vehicle loaded up with parts, and the duo heading out of the area in about two minutes.

"In the end, we have stopped them from committing crimes here in Conyers and elsewhere throughout the state," wrote Freeman. "As of right now, we are working with a number of agencies in the metro-Atlanta area, and beyond, to see how many cases can be tied back to these two."

"We have just seen the tip of the iceberg with this case," wrote Freeman.