Burglary Suspect Arrested After Woman Snaps Photos of Him

Authorities were able to arrest a Lawrenceville man on burglary charges last week after the complainant in the incident was able to take photos of the suspect.

According to the Gwinnett County Police report, the burglary occurred at a vacant home on the 900 block of Falconcrest Drive in Lawrenceville around 12:15 p.m. one day. 

The complainant, 48, told police that she works for a company that maintains the property. After walking to the rear of the residence, she noticed the fence and the crawl space door have been opened, in addition to the lock on the shed door being pried off.

She went to check the shed and saw a man wearing all black, a hood over his head, huge work gloves and a camo back pack.

She asked him what he was doing, and he didn't say anything. The woman then started taking photos of the man as he grabbed his computer and tools before running off behind the home. The woman lost sight of him and called police.

When police arrived, they noticed that the copper pipes from the water heater had been cut and taken. The pipes were located in the shed, where a black micorwave, an Emerson flat screen TV and brass knuckles were also found. The pipes are valued at $4,200 in the report.

After seeing the photos and getting a description of the suspect, Gwinnett officers went to nearby residents to ask if they had seen the man. Two different neighbors said they recognized him as 20-year-old Nicholas Gustin Tucker, who lived on the 800 block of the same street.

An officer went by the Tucker home and spoke with him and his father. Tucker said he had not left the home that day, but according to this father, this was not true and his son was not home that entire day. He also observed Tucker changing out of dark clothing earlier. 

They gave police permission to search his room, where they found clothing that matched the photos. A pipe cutter and flash light also were found laying on the floor.

Tucker was arrested on charges possession of tool for commission of a crime, burglary in the second degree and burglary in the first degree. Police also discovered he had an active warrant for his arrest out of Winder, Ga.

The information in this article is based solely on police incident reports provided on request. It does not indicate a conviction.