'Wood-be' thief jacks lumber from Fayette County construction site, sheriff says

Man accused of stealing lumber from construction site

Juan Manuel Rivera faces felony charges for allegedly stealing lumber from a Fayette County construction site.

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. - A "wood-be" thief is giving a whole new meaning to the term "lumberjack." Fayette County deputies say they arrested a man accused of stealing lumber from construction sites.

It happened on four different occasions. Fayette County deputies say they caught Juan Manuel Rivera helping himself to wood in the middle of the night. They took photos of Rivera’s Honda Element loaded with the supplies.

Sheriff Barry Babb says the 41-year-old Riverdale man worked the construction site by day, and helped himself to supplies by night. He faces felony charges for thefts that Babb says occurred over four nights. He also faces charges of loitering and prowling, possession of meth, and crossing the guard line at the jail with drugs.

The sheriff’s office says Rivera also used unsafe ways to transport the stolen wood in his SUV.