Thieves target rental homes to steal appliances, CMPD says

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have been on the trail of suspects targeting home appliances.

Investigators said they’ve broken into 150 rental homes so far.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police believe Thomas Rogers and Bob Pate are at the top of an organized ring of thieves who are targeting appliances in rental homes across the city.

“These two subjects that have been charged, as of right now, were definitely the leaders, and then they had other people helping them,” said CMPD Sgt. Corey Geohagen, who has been leading the investigation since last summer. “It appears it’s been about 150 Progress Residential break-ins.”

Progress Residential is a national property management company with rental homes that feature upgraded amenities and higher-quality appliances, according to its website.

“On one case, the witness was able to get a photo of the suspect vehicle, which was quite helpful,” Geohagen said. “And another case, they were able to get a photo of the suspect.”

Geohagan said his detectives started doing surveillance and discovered they knew the suspects, because Pate and Rogers were arrested and charged back February for doing the same thing.

However, Geohagan said officers caught them in the act.

“The suspect would get into the house, have a van, a truck, and they would load up all the appliances from the kitchen,” the sergeant said.

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This search warrant indicated the suspects would then take them to a storage facility on North Graham Street.

CMPD has connected Pate and Rogers to 13 of the cases connected to Progress Residential.

“It touches on every division in the city,” Geohaven said. “Some more than others. Our division, it’s probably 15% of our B-and-Es.”

The crime wave also accounts for a big chunk of property managers’ bottom line.

“It could be anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 on average,” said John Lambert, chief operating officer for a different homebuilder targeted by appliance thefts. “Could be a lot more depending on the appliance package.”

The thefts leave companies no choice but to pass the cost onto the consumer, he said.

CMPD said they have recovered about 50 of the items stolen from Progress Residential homes.

Geohagan said Progress Residential has partnered with the police department to put trackers on property.

“We’re looking at other people,” Geohagen said. “As of right now, we don’t have any charges on anyone else.”

Progress Residential sent Channel 9 a statement that read, “We are dismayed and disheartened by this criminal activity. Progress Residential is proud to serve the community of Charlotte, North Carolina.”

The investigation is ongoing.

(Watch below: Home builders use technology to track stolen appliances from construction sites)

Home builders use technology to track stolen appliances from construction sites

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