COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Police say someone broke into a local restaurant that was set to open this fall.
Along Franklin Gateway in Marietta, an old Applebee’s is being transformed into a new restaurant. Those plans abruptly stopped when someone targeted the restaurant last Friday.
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The owner showed Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell the damage inside the restaurant.
Now, owner Gus Tselios is offering a $5,000 reward for information and has ramped up security.
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There are now chains at each entrance of the parking lot and security cameras follow any motion detected. They’re placed all over the property.
Tselios is pleading with anyone who can to give them a tip.
“$5,000 reward, we need to bring these people to justice,” he said.
The new restaurant would be the seventh Tselios opens in Cobb County.
“We’re so excited to bring Casa Grande to this side of the neighborhood,” Tselios said. “I’ve had the Marietta Diner on Cobb Parkway for the past 30 years, we have Casa Grande at the East West connector.”
Police said thieves broke into the building and took off with the copper inside.
“Anybody who could tell us who did this even if one of the few people who were here tells on one of the other guys we will give them $5,000,” Tselios said. “My message to the person who did it? we are always hiring you can get a job and earn a living the honest way instead of doing this damage.”
Tselios told Channel 2 Action News he thinks more than one person was involved due to the amount of damage.
Officers said the value of the copper the thief stole was minimal, but the suspect caused over $100,000 in damage.
Police don’t have any leads.
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