DeKalb County Police say an arrest in a string of break-ins in the Northlake area actually resulted in a huge reduction in crime.
Since June, there have been more than a dozen burglaries in the Tucker area. Captain Stephen Fore tells WSB they got a break in the case after a suspicious vehicle was reported in the area during the time of the crimes. They eventually linked that vehicle to Louie Newton. They searched his home and recovered a number of stolen items.
Fore says Newton used his profession to target his victims.
"He would go to a number of residences, seeking electrical work. He was a legal electrician by trade. If there was no one home at the residence, he would either sometimes do a burglary, break in right then, or case the location and come back at a later time," said Fore.
So far, they've linked Newton to 13 burglaries.
"Since he was arrested on September 5th, Central precinct detectives were able to confirm we've had a 52% reduction in burglaries in the Northlake area," said Fore.