Pickens County sheriff's deputies are searching for a car theft suspect who tried to dodge a Ring doorbell camera by holding a bundle of leafy branches in front of his face while walking through a garage on Sunday — only to glance directly into the lens and reveal his face anyway. The vehicle, reported stolen out of Pickens County, was later found abandoned across county lines in the small town of Fairmount, according to investigators.
Branches Couldn't Hide His Face
The Ring camera footage, captured the afternoon of August 2, shows the suspect holding the foliage up while moving around the garage, but at one point he looked straight into the camera, exposing his face, according to WSB-TV Channel 2. The Pickens County Sheriff's Office posted the clip to social media, writing, "Mother Nature isn't an invisibility cloak," and asked anyone who recognizes the man to come forward, according to a Facebook post from the department.
Vehicle Turned Up Miles Away in Fairmount
Although the car was stolen in Pickens County, deputies recovered it abandoned in Fairmount, a Gordon County town sitting near the Pickens-Gordon line, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Fairmount is a rural community of roughly 1,175 residents spread across about 1.8 square miles, according to the City of Calhoun's joint comprehensive plan. Pickens County, where the theft occurred, is home to about 37,167 residents in the Blue Ridge foothills north of Atlanta, per USAFacts.
Investigators are asking anyone who recognizes the suspect to come forward, as CBS News Atlanta reported. Tipsters can text "PSOtip" to 847411 or call the sheriff's office Criminal Investigations Division at 706-253-8935.
Felony Charges Could Follow an Arrest
If identified and charged, the suspect could face felony motor vehicle theft under Georgia Code § 16-8-12, which carries one to 10 years in prison for vehicles valued between $5,000 and $25,000, according to Justia Law. Entering an unattached garage without permission to commit theft can also be charged as second-degree burglary under Georgia Code § 16-7-1, a felony punishable by one to five years in prison for a first offense, per Moffitt Law.
Part of a Broader Pattern in North Georgia
The case adds to a pattern of vehicle theft investigations that regularly cross county lines in North Georgia. Pickens County Sheriff's Office detectives arrested three suspects in 2020 tied to at least a dozen entering-auto and vehicle theft cases spanning Pickens and Cherokee counties, according to GA.FetchYourNews.com. Statewide, reported property crimes in Georgia totaled 172,058 in 2024, still well above 2020 levels despite a slight dip from 2023, per John Foy & Associates.
Regional agencies across North Georgia have also expanded automated license plate reader networks such as Flock Safety to track stolen vehicles moving across county and state lines, as Hoodline has previously reported. Whether such cameras captured this vehicle's route between Pickens and Gordon counties has not been disclosed by investigators.
