Stolen sentimental items from storage unit leave couple heartbroken
Storage unit burglarized, vandalized in Marietta
Jeff and Mary Powell say someone broke into their Marietta storage unit, stole several items, and caused thousands of dollars? worth of damage. But their problems don?t stop there.
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - A Cobb County couple says someone broke into their storage unit, stole several items, and then caused damage.
Jeff and Mary Powell say they planned to rent the unit at Morningstar Storage on Sandy Plains Road in Cobb County for only two weeks. However, one week into their rental, ten days ago, they said they went to check on their stuff and found it in complete disarray.
"Ever since this happened, I have felt unsafe. I don't feel like normal. I'm suspicious of people that I wouldn't normally be suspicious of. I'm waiting for answers that aren't being given," Jeff Powell said.
Storage unit burglarized, vandalized in Cobb County
The couple is moving into a new home and needed a place to store their belongings while they get everything ready for the move.
"We had everything we owned in the two different storage units," Powell said.
They shared several images with FOX 5 of the unit after the theft.
"Broken pieces of furniture... We had jewelry stolen, we had clothes stolen... they destroyed and vandalized so much stuff that we just got everything out of there, and we're still accounting for what is missing," Powell said.
He says they estimate the combined cost of the damage and theft to be around $20,000.
Jeff's wife, Mary Powell, says many of the items were also extremely sentimentally valuable to them.
"Baseball cards that Jeff has been collecting since he was a kid...who wanted my high school ring? That was a million years ago. The little things, jewelry that Jeff bought me over the years. And now it's gone... and that you can't put a price on," she said.
Storage company responds to break-in at Cobb County facility
Both say they wish Morningstar had better protected their items.
FOX 5 reached out to Morningstar's corporate office to ask about the security of their units, but they didn't respond to our request before publication.
An employee, who spoke with FOX 5 and asked not to be named in this story, claimed they had refunded the Powells their storage fees.
However, the Powells dispute that claim and say they have no records of any refund being given.
Recent storage break-ins in metro Atlanta
The employee also said these kinds of thefts happen at storage units all over metro Atlanta and that Morningstar on Sandy Plains was not unique.
In December, thieves broke into Life Storage on Jonesboro Road in Clayton County and stole from a disabled veteran's unit.
In October, DeKalb County police said they needed the public's help in finding three suspects accused of breaking into multiple units at a Public Storage on Clairmont Road.
The Powells say that's exactly why they wanted to speak out about the theft that happened to them, so that people understand the risks of renting a unit in one of these storage facilities.
"There's a lot of people who store their merchandise, their belongings, anything here. And I don't know how secure that is," Mary Powell said.
"I'm just scared for ourselves and other people that units like this aren't safe," Jeff Powell said.