Thieves steal model trains, handgun, restaurant’s night deposits

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Fayetteville Police Department Car.

The period of April 3-7 came with the theft of business deposits and two burglaries where a handgun and sets of model trains were stolen.

Jessica R. Whatley, 39, of Riverdale was arrested on seven charges of theft by taking, according to Fayette County Jail records.

Fayetteville Police Department spokesman Mike Whitlow said Whatley was employed at a Fayetteville pizza restaurant when the charges were made. He said Whatley was responsible for making bank deposits after closing but had failed to make seven of the deposits during January, March and April. The deposits totaled $1,200, said Whitlow.

Whitlow said the restaurant offered to have Whatley pay the money back, but Whatley said she was too busy to do so.

In another incident, an April 7 burglary occurred at a construction site on Ga. Highway 54 West in Fayetteville near Burch Road.

Whitlow said the construction superintendent put his handgun in a computer bag and locked it in the construction office. He returned from lunch to find that the office door had been pried open and the gun stolen.

An April 3 burglary on Crabapple Road off Ga. Highway 92 South resulted in the theft of sets of model trains reportedly valued at $5,000-6,000.

Sheriff Barry Babb the homeowner reported the theft from a backyard storage building on April 5. The victim told deputies that her deceased husband’s model train collection had been stored in the building.

An unknown person had damaged the door and frame while gaining entry and had stolen the sets of model trains, Babb said.