Crime & Safety
Elderly Couple Charged With Burglary
Norcross residents Lamar and Eleanor Melson allegedly stole several items from a Sandy Springs apartment unit after its tenant passed away.
An elderly couple is facing burglary charges for allegedly taking items from an apartment unit where they were tasked with performing housekeeping duties.
Norcross residents Eleanor Drake Melson, 76, and her husband, Lamar Albert Melson, 81, were arrested by Sandy Springs detectives on Monday, May 12 and each face four counts of burglary.
According to the Sandy Springs Police Department, the Melsons committed the first of four burglaries at an apartment unit the day after its occupant passed away.
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"The pair did not live in the complex, but did housekeeping duties for several of the residents and had access to the victim's apartment," the agency added.
The Melsons are accused of taking several personal items from the apartment unit in April, and used shopping carts to remove the stolen items from the unit.
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Among the items taken were were two vases family members told police were valued at $3,000.
The victim's family members noticed apartment items were missing and reported it to police earlier this month. The Melsons were arrested at 300 Johnson Ferry Road and booked into the Fulton County Jail.
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