Atlanta Man Convicted Of 2 Burglaries In Cobb

MABLETON, GA -- An Atlanta man was convicted this week in the burglary of two South Cobb properties, Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds announced Friday. For more police news and updates on this and other stories in South Cobb, click here to get Patch's daily newsletter and free, real-time news alerts.

Thirty-six-year-old Marchello Eric Lee of Atlanta burglarized Impact Worship Center in June 2015, the DA's Office said. Lee took $25,000 worth of heating and air conditioning equipment, Cobb officials determined during an investigation.

The church at 6925 Mableton Parkway was under construction at the time, officials said, allowing Lee to steal brand-new equipment and unopened merchandise. While he was damaging a door and two windows during the theft, he managed to drop a piece of mail that contained his name and address, prosecutors said.

A couple of months later, a witness reported seeing a van across the street from a burglarized warehouse building that was owned by Efficiency Lodge. The same witness recalled seeing the same van earlier and so the police were notified.

Lee told detectives that he owned the van, but it was later revealed that the vehicle had a GPS device installed in it by the previous owner. Investigators used the GPS to trace the van's movements, discovering that the vehicle had been at the scene of several burglaries, including the one at the warehouse at at 5401 Old Floyd Road.

“When this defendant finds a location where he can steal HVAC equipment, construction materials and such, he goes back again and again,” Assistant District Attorney Marty First, who prosecuted the case, said in a statement. “Having the GPS on the van was the icing – you couldn’t make this up.”

After his conviction Thursday in Cobb Superior Court, Lee was sentenced to 20 years, with a mandatory term of five years in prison and the rest on probation. Lee was represented by Atlanta attorney David Simpson.

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