'I felt violated:' Marietta doc describes break-in believed to be part of string of burglaries

May 14—It happened on the third weekend of last December. Dr. Larry Clements, a pediatrician at Wellstar Health System, was out of town in Tennessee.

Upon returning, he was sitting in the office of his Marietta home when he noticed something was amiss. Clements' desk drawers had been pried open and rifled through.

After investigating further, Clements found that cash, jewelry and a Ruger pistol had been stolen from his house, he told the MDJ.

"I wasn't freaked out," Clements said. "I was angry, I felt violated."

Police now believe Clements' house was one of at least eight Cobb homes targeted in a string of sophisticated burglaries targeting multi-million dollar homes.

Cobb County and Marietta police officials said earlier this week that such burglaries show a pattern — burglars entering at night through rear windows when residents aren't home; cash, jewelry, cars, safes and guns being stolen.

Similar break-ins have been reported around metro Atlanta, per police officials. The burglaries in Cobb seem to be part of a national trend. Citing law enforcement experts, the Washington Post reported in January that an increasing number of so-called "crime tourists" from South America have been pulling off sophisticated burglaries at expensive homes across the country, raking in millions.

Federal law enforcement, including the FBI, have been involved in investigating such incidents, the Post reported.

Jenna Sellitto, a spokesperson for the FBI, couldn't confirm or deny that the FBI was involved in investigating the Cobb incidents.

"As far as I can tell these burglaries do not reach a federal crime level," Sellitto said in a statement. "The FBI is poised to assist if we receive a request from our partners. However, our law enforcement partners often have the resources and specialized skills they need to investigate a matter and do not involve the FBI unless they develop information to suggest a violation of federal law."

Argentinian arrested

At least one local arrest has been made following a May break-in in east Cobb. A police report for the incident says that the teenage daughter of the homeowners called police around 9:30 p.m. after hearing "crashing and banging" in the home.

Armando Casa-Rojas, a 30-year-old Argentinian national, was arrested by Cobb police in the incident. Casa-Rojas is accused in an arrest warrant of breaking a back door window and cracking open a safe. In his backpack, the suspect had four pry bars, a flashlight, a head lamp, a tool used for breaking windows, and a pair of gloves.

Casa-Rojas ran from police, the warrant says, but was apprehended and booked into the Cobb County jail. He remains in jail, charged with first-degree burglary, possession of tools for the commission of a crime and obstruction of a law enforcement officer. He is not eligible for bond.

Police reports from Cobb and Marietta police detail other break-ins at expensive homes over the past several months.

Another large west Marietta home was hit in December. Police believe burglars entered through an upstairs window, prying the window off the house, per a Marietta police report. An ottoman and trash can had been stacked to enable someone to climb onto the roof, and a closet and jewelry box were rummaged through. Burglars stole a safe and a Mercedes sedan which was valued at $50,000.

Marietta police responded to a burglary in the northwest part of the city in January. Thousands of dollars worth of jewelry, a Glock handgun and a Lexus sedan were stolen while the homeowner was away that afternoon, a police report says. A ladder was found propped against the home, and a window had been pried open, the report says. Police dusted the home for fingerprints but were unsuccessful.

On a mid-March night, Marietta police met with a homeowner at a five-bedroom west Marietta house who had scared off would-be burglars. Per the police report for the incident, the owner saw two men clad in black clothing, masks and gloves trying to open a door. He asked "what are you doing?" via the cameras, leading them to run off.

That same night, Cobb police were called after an alarm was triggered at a five-bedroom home on the outskirts of Marietta, near Kennesaw Mountain, per a police report. The Cobb report includes few details but says the home was found empty by police.

An alarm was triggered at another west Marietta home, this one with 6 bedrooms, in April. A second-story glass door was shattered, and police wrote in a report that jewelry and clothes were found strewn about a bedroom. Police also found screens cut open and drainage pipes on the outside of the home were damaged. About $10,000 worth of jewelry and other possessions were missing. Once again, police had no luck searching for fingerprints.

'False sense of security'

Clements' four-bedroom house is on Hanson Way, part of The Park at Anderson Farm, a gated, pristine community in the upscale western neighborhoods of Marietta.

There was no sign of forced entry, and Clements believes the burglars parked in a nearby, non-gated area and approached his house through the woods. He's not sure how they got in, but he doesn't think the alarm was set. Someone else had been coming and going from the house to feed Clements' cat.

"I've been there a while, nothing's ever happened. I've never had anything really go on, felt totally safe," Clements said. "I was upset and felt naïve that I hadn't been real proactive about the alarm and locks. You get kind of lulled into a false sense of security, I guess, when you've been in some place like that, and you know it has a gate, been a long time and never hear of anything happening."

At Clements' home, police swept windows, doors and surfaces for fingerprints but were unable to locate any, according to a police report.

Clements said the stolen items were probably worth about $5,000. The sentimental value of the items stings more than their monetary worth. Burglars took his mother's vintage, "irreplaceable" jewelry, and old money that he kept as souvenirs.

"Actually, several of them were given to me by my grandmother before she passed," Clements said. "You know, she said, 'Here's a $100 bill, just take it and get something you want.' So I actually had marked those and the date she gave it to me, because I knew she wouldn't be around forever, and I had no intention of ever getting rid of them. ... It wasn't enough money to really matter, but that was disappointing that I lost those."

Cobb police have already stepped up patrols in at-risk neighborhoods and are encouraging residents to keep an eye out for suspicious vehicles or persons and ensure their alarms are set.

Marietta police told the MDJ that partnerships between law enforcement agencies and alert neighbors will help authorities crack the case.

"I'm certainly shoring up my security," Clements said. "I've got all kinds of tricks and gadgets and stuff at this point."

— MDJ reporter Chart Riggall contributed to this article.