By Ben Brasch
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATLANTA — A Lawrenceville duo will do prison time after breaking into more than 200 vehicles through metro Atlanta, many belonging to firefighters.
Ayana Dayshina Forest, 22, and Elisha Howard Ross, 26, had law enforcement agencies from 17 counties on their trail of break-ins and thefts between January and June.
Prosecutors in a news release announcing their guilty pleas laid out their process: Forest would drop Ross off near a fire station at night. He’d smash the car windows with a tool then search the glove compartments. Then Forest would circle back and pick him up.
Police said they hit cars in nearly two dozen jurisdictions, including: Smyrna, Powder Springs, Acworth, Alpharetta and Roswell along with Cobb, Gwinnett, Forsyth, Paulding and Clayton counties.
They hit 52 fire stations, an ambulance service and the headquarters of Glock in Smyrna in addition to vehicles parked at 11 homes near an Acworth fire station.
In all, they nicked 59 guns from vehicles, most of which were sold on the street.
Two of the stolen guns were found when police arrested the pair, prosecutors said. Another gun was found at the scene of a DeKalb County shooting.
Forest and Ross also nabbed cash, headphones, laptops and other valuables.
At the July 31 news conference when they were arrested, Cobb fire’s deputy chief Bill Johnson said his firefighters were spooked to have their personal vehicles targeted.
“It’s very discouraging. They’re out doing their job, serving the citizens and protecting them the best they can, only to find out and get back from a call and wake up in the morning, and their cars have been broken into and personal belongings stolen,” he said.
The pair was indicted in October.
On Wednesday, Cobb superior judge Kimberly Childs sentenced Forest to seven years in prison and eight years probation.
Childs sentenced Ross on Jan. 23 to 10 years in prison and another decade of probation.
They were also each ordered to pay $8,920 in restitution.
Copyright 2018 Atlanta Journal-Constitution