Suspects Linked to Smash-and-Grabs at Beauty Supply Stores

Over the past 2 years, the Metro Atlanta area has been plagued with a rash of burglaries of beauty supply stores, focusing on the theft of hair extension products by an organized criminal enterprise, Marietta Police Public Information Officer David Baldwin said.

These burglaries have caused extensive damages to area businesses due to stolen vehicles been driven through the store fronts to gain access, Baldwin said.  

Damage to businesses and product loss in Cobb County alone is estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Marietta Police, with the cooperation of College Park, Cobb and Smyrna Police Departments, were able to identify and link several suspects within this criminal enterprise to these crimes as well as provide evidence in similar crimes in other jurisdictions around the Atlanta area, Baldwin said. 

On Oct. 4, Marietta Police detectives took 28-year-old Joe Nathan Ford into custody without incident on charges of Burglary and RICO. 

Further interviews with Ford linked him as well as a co-suspect with at least six burglaries and two auto thefts.  

There have been at least 16 of these types of burglaries in the Metro Atlanta region since the beginning of 2013 that these suspects are possibly linked to, Baldwin said.    

Additional law enforcement agencies are expected to file charges against these two suspects. 

The investigation is still active and ongoing at this time to address other possible suspects in this group.  

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Russell Henson at 770-794-5345 or the Marietta Police Anonymous Tip Line at 770-794-6990.