Woodstock Man Charged With 33 Counts of Entering Auto

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WOODSTOCK, GA -- Detectives with the Cherokee Sheriff's Office have arrested a man they believe is responsible for more than two dozen entering auto causes in unincorporated Woodstock.

Johnny Lee Cowart, 26, of Woodstock, has been charged with 33 counts of entering auto, one count of burglary, 25 counts of credit card theft, 10 counts of credit card fraud, two counts of attempted credit card fraud and probation violation, the agency said Friday.

The arrest caps off a two-and-a-half month investigation of incidents that occurred in neighborhoods along Arnold Mill Road.

Lt. Jay Baker, spokesperson with the Cherokee Sheriff's Office, said investigators believe Cowart unlawfully entered vehicles belonging to at least 29 residents. Items taken from these vehicles include firearms, credit cards, purses, tools and wallets.

Baker noted Cowart is also accused of using the stolen credit cards to make purchases online and at local businesses. Detectives executed a search warrant at Cowart's home and located some of the items swiped from the vehicles, including a stolen firearm, Baker states.

Cowart remains held without bond at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.

The sheriff's office is using the arrest to remind citizens to always lock their vehicle doors. With the exception of a convertible in which the top was cut with a knife, detectives learned throughout the investigation that very car entered into was unlocked.

"Typically in a residential situation a suspect will not use force to enter a locked vehicle," the sheriff's office said. "These types of thefts almost always occur in the middle of the night and the suspects try to make as little noise as possible."

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Photo: Johnny Lee Cowart. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office