Couple Arrested After Stealing $26K in Tools from Forsyth County Business

Steven Tomlin walked away from Preferred Tire and Truck Repair with more than a grievance. According to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, the former employee stole over $26,000 in tools and equipment from the business, then he and his girlfriend Harley Harvard turned the haul into cash through a two-pronged operation: scrapping the steel and aluminum items at a metal recycler and listing what remained for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

Owners of Preferred Tire and Truck Repair reported the theft to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office in early February. Investigators say Tomlin and Harvard had stripped out company-owned steel and aluminum and sold it for scrap money, while Harvard worked to move the remaining tools through Facebook Marketplace listings. For a trade business where specialized equipment can run thousands of dollars per item, a $26,000-plus loss represents not just a balance-sheet hit but days or weeks of delayed service for Forsyth County contractors and homeowners waiting on truck and tire repairs.

As detectives investigated, they tracked Tomlin to a new job at a tire shop in McDonough, roughly 40 miles south of Cumming. Felony Theft By Taking warrants were issued, and the search for the couple led investigators well outside Forsyth County. Detectives eventually located both suspects at a Motel 6 in LaGrange, where some of the stolen tools were found inside the work truck Tomlin was using at the time. Both were arrested and booked into the Forsyth County Jail.

The case shows how quickly stolen commercial tools disappear into the resale economy. Scrap yards that accept steel and aluminum without verifying ownership provide an immediate cash-out channel for thieves, while platforms like Facebook Marketplace create a secondary market where identifiable equipment can move to buyers across the region before a business owner realizes what is missing. The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office has cited rising local theft concerns as broader context for the arrests.

The Tomlin and Harvard case is not the only active theft investigation in the county. In a separate, unrelated matter, the sheriff's office has asked for help identifying two men suspected in the theft of roughly $50,000 worth of scrap metal from American BOA at 1420 Redi Road. Those suspects allegedly entered the property through a fence on Oct. 3 and carried the metal through the woods to a waiting vehicle. No arrest has been announced in that case.

Anyone with information on the American BOA theft can contact Sheriff's Investigator Jason Soles at (770) 781-3081. Those wishing to remain anonymous can use the sheriff's Crime Stoppers tipline at (770) 888-7308.

The sheriff's office has not released a final inventory of which tools from Preferred Tire and Truck Repair were recovered and which remain unaccounted for. The investigation is ongoing.