Law enforcement officers from eleven Georgia agencies, including Hall, Banks, and Jackson counties, worked together on an investigation dubbed “Operation Rooftop.” Their work paid off recently with the arrests of several men for the theft of half-a-million dollars’ worth of commercial roofing materials from jobsites across North Georgia.
Early morning raids were carried out Aug. 14 at three units of an apartment complex in Atlanta, as well as at a house in Atlanta, resulting in the arrests of five suspects:
- Jose Amaya Martinez, 27
- Juan Adrian Torres Tello, 30
- Gabriel Amaya Zalasar, 30
- Margarito Amaya Zalasar, 20
- Miguel Amaya Zalasar, 24
The investigators obtained a combination of felony arrest warrants for the suspects on charges of theft and conspiracy. Gabriel Amaya Zalasar and Miguel Amaya Zalasar were booked into the Jackson County jail, while the remaining three men were housed in the DeKalb County Jail.
According to the initial investigation that began in June, individuals in the theft ring targeted large
commercial construction sites, stealing roofing materials, including various types of membrane. According to the latest numbers, members of the ring have made off with materials worth approximately $500,000.
The Hall County and Pickens County Sheriff’s Offices coordinated and carried out “Operation Rooftop” with sheriff’s offices in Banks, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Jackson Counties, as well as police departments in Brookhaven, Cartersville, Dunwoody and Flowery Branch and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Investigators are continuing work on the case and believe there may be unreported theft incidents that are similar to those under investigation. Anyone with information can contact Hall County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Buffington at (770) 297-4695.