East Cobb Public Safety

Cobb Police awarded H.E.A.T. grant to reduce traffic crashes

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Submitted information:Cobb Police, Holly Springs Road suspicious person, East Cobb crime forum

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has announced that the Cobb County Police Department is one of 21 law enforcement agencies in Georgia to receive a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant for the Federal 2024 Fiscal Year. Referred to as a H.E.A.T. grant, the Cobb County Police Department’s award totals $37,895.04.

The goal of the H.E.A.T. program is to combat crashes, injuries and fatalities caused by impaired driving and speeding, while also increasing seatbelt use and educating the public about traffic safety and the dangers of DUI.

The Cobb County Police Department’s H.E.A.T Unit will use the grant from GOHS to develop and implement strategies to reduce local traffic crashes due to aggressive and dangerous driving behaviors.

“With the increase in the number of persons killed in traffic crashes in Georgia and across the nation over the last year, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is working with partners like the Cobb County Police Department to implement programs designed to stop the risky driving behaviors that are contributing to a majority of our serious-injury and fatality crashes,” Allen Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said.” “Many of the fatal traffic crashes on our roads are preventable, and we will continue to work with our educational and enforcement partners to develop programs and initiatives that are designed to get Georgia to our goal of zero traffic deaths.”

H.E.A.T. grants fund specialized traffic enforcement units in counties throughout the state. The program was designed to assist Georgia jurisdictions with the highest rates of traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities with grants awarded based on impaired driving and speeding data.

As law enforcement partners in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over DUI campaign and the Click It Or Ticket seatbelt campaigns, the Cobb County Police Department will also conduct mobilizations throughout the year in coordination with GOHS’s year-round waves of high visibility patrols, multi-jurisdictional roadchecks, and sobriety checkpoints.

For more information about the H.E.A.T. program or any other GOHS campaign, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org or call 404-656-6996.

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Suspect shot by police in Northeast Cobb traffic chase dies

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Suspect shot by police in Northeast Cobb traffic chase dies

Following up our story of last week’s shooting by Woodstock Police of a suspect who allegedly dodged a traffic stop:

The suspect, Emmanuel Millard, 20, of Marietta, has died, according to his mother, who is organizing a fundraiser for burial expenses and legal fees “in our pursuit of justice for Emmanuel.”

In a GoFundMe appeal posted on Tuesday, Lenette Millard said her son died on Saturday, two days after the incident with police that ended at an intersection in Northeast Cobb.

“What’s equally devastating is the fact that this information was kept hidden from the public—my son was shot in the head by the police,” she said.

“My family is struggling to come to terms with this profound loss, and the lack of transparency surrounding Emmanuel’s tragic death only adds to our pain. The police department is wrong, yet they have provided us with no information, no closure, and no justice.”

The fundraising appeal has raised more than $1,000 of a goal of $8,000.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation—which takes over officer-involved shootings—said Friday that Millard fled a Woodstock Police traffic stop at Highway 92 and Hames Road Thursday night, then took officers on a chase that ended at Alabama Road and Old Mountain Park Road in Northeast Cobb.

The GBI release said that during the case, Millard ran off the road several times, nearly struck other vehicles and tried to hit police vehicles.

After cornering Millard’s vehicle and causing it to crash, the GBI said Woodstock Police tried to remove the suspect from the car, then shot him once.

The GBI release didn’t say where Millard was shot, but that officers rendered aid until he was taken to North Fulton Hospital. WSB-TV reported that the incident was captured on policy body camera video.

A GBI spokeswoman confirmed Millard’s death and said the investigation is continuing. She previously had said that the agency’s findings into the shooting will be turned over to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office when the investigation is completed.

The Woodstock officer has been placed on administrative leave.

“The Woodstock Police Department understands the value of every human life and will work to maintain transparency throughout this investigation,” Woodstock Police said last Friday.

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Woodstock police shoot suspect following chase into NE Cobb

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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Friday it is conducting an investigation into an officer-involved shooting following a vehicle chase that ended in Northeast Cobb.GBI drug trafficking arrests NE Cobb home search

A GBI release Friday afternoon said that a Woodstock Police officer shot Emmanuel Millard, 20, of Marietta, Thursday night after the suspect fled a traffic stop.

Woodstock Police said Millard ran off the road several times, nearly struck other vehicles and tried to hit police vehicles.

The GBI said Millard was seriously injured from a single gunshot wound and is hospitalized.

The GBI said a preliminary report indicated that a Woodstock officer was conducting a traffic stop at Highway 92 and Hames Road, near the Cobb County line, around 10:45 p.m. Thursday when the driver of the vehicle refused to stop.

He led officers on a pursuit before they were able to perform a PIT maneuver (Precision Mobilization Technique) on the vehicle, boxing it in near the intersection of Highway 92 (Alabama Road) and Old Mountain Park Road, near the Cobb-Roswell line.

As officers tried to remove the suspect from the car, Millard was shot once, and officers rendered aid until EMS arrived on the scene, according to the GBI.

The GBI said Millard was in serious condition at North Fulton Hospital. The agency said the results of its investigation into the shooting will be sent to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office for review. 

The officer was place on administrative leave by Woodstock Police.

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11-year-old pedestrian hit by car on Post Oak Tritt Road

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Cobb Police said a girl was hit by a car Tuesday morning as she was crossing Post Oak Tritt Road.Northeast Cobb car crash, Cops on Donut Shops

Officer Shenise Barner said the unidentified girl, who is 11 years old, was crossing Post Oak Tritt Road at Bennington Drive at 8:42 a.m. when she was hit by a white Honda CR-V driven by Amanda Finley, 38, of Marietta.

That intersection is located between Sandy Plains Road and Holly Springs Road. 

Barner said the collision took place outside the pedestrian crossing and and that the girl was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital with serious injuries.

Police said Finley was not injured and that anyone with more information about the incident is asked to call 770-499-4987,

2023 East Cobb Public Safety Appreciation donations accepted

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East Cobb Public Safety Appreciation Dinner
Precinct 4 officers and staff enjoying a Public Safety Appreciation Celebration at Olde Towne Athletic Club. ECN file.

Three organizations, including the East Cobb Business Association, are putting together an appreciation celebration for Cobb Police Precinct 4 personnel next month and are collecting donations from the public.

Susan Hampton, who’s a co-chair of the joint effort with the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and the Cobb Public Safety Foundation, said the event will take place in November and the deadline for making donations is Nov. 1.

Precinct 4 personnel are treated to a night of food and entertainment and are presented with gifts and door prizes as a show of appreication from the community (see our previous coverage).

She said that gift cards “are ideal” and that popular items include gift cards in general, as well as for those for big-box stores, restaurants and AMEX/Visa/Master Card gift cards. The suggested amounts are $25, $50 and $100.

Hampton said that you can make donations online at the Cobb Public Safety Foundation website or contact her at 404-218-6216 or Susan.Hampton6216@gmail.com.

If you’re writing a check, make it payable to “CCPSF, Inc.” and include “public safety celebration” in the memo line.

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The donations are tax-deductible

Cobb 911 launches ‘Logan’s List’ to identify those with special needs

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Submitted information:Cobb 911 Logan's List

The Cobb County Department of Emergency Communications (DEC) is now accepting responses for its Logan’s List database to identify those members of our community with special needs. The voluntary database allows Cobb DEC personnel to alert law enforcement or emergency responders that there are individuals in a home with special needs that could impede their ability to communicate with them. Signed into law in May 2021 by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Logan’s List was inspired by a Georgia teen with autism and other special needs.

“Our ultimate goal is to fulfill the needs of all members of our community; programs like this help us do just that,” says Cobb DEC Director Melissa Alterio. “Responders will be made aware of those mental, physical, or neurological conditions before arriving on scene so they can respond appropriately.”

Registering your family members for this database would help responders by letting them know they are non-verbal, how they best communicate, whether they are easily agitated, or whether sirens and flashing lights upset them. This information is essential to make sure those in public safety can best help those with special needs. The two-page form takes only a few minutes to complete and could help keep responders and citizens safe.

Cobb DEC’s implementation of this program comes after months of research and identifying how the team would gather and disseminate that information to responders. Once a person has completed the necessary form, the data will be available in the DEC Computer-Aided Dispatch system for telecommunicators, officers, and firefighters to see. The agency will keep a record of information in the database for six months and advise those added to the database to update any information and re-register every six months.

“We encourage those with a family member that may be special needs to please register your loved ones,” Alterio says.

To register for the Cobb County 911 Logan’s List database or more information, visit their website, cobbcounty.org/911, email 911LogansList@cobbcounty.org, or call 770-590-5711. 

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Cobb commissioners approve funding to finish police Precinct 6

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Cobb Police Precinct 6

The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved spending $2.2 million to finish interior work on the new Cobb Police Precinct 6 in Northeast Cobb.

The facility located next to the Mountain View Aquatic Center on Gordy Parkway at Sandy Plains Road was budgeted for $5 million as part of the 2016 Cobb SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax).

Ground was broken in late 2021, but rising construction costs pushed the project well over budget, to $7.7 million, and commissioners approved an additional $400,000 last year.

But the Cobb Department of Public Safety said the building is only 60 percent complete, with interior build-out still to be finished, and the work needs to be done now to avoid funding issues.

Public safety director Mike Register, a former Cobb police chief, said $200,000 of the new funding from the county’s general fund reserve would be for contingency costs for Batson-Cook, the contractor.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of District thanked Register, who was recently reappointed to his former role and who took she and her colleagues on a tour of a project she has been pushing for for years.

The vote was 4-0, with Chairwoman Lisa Cupid absent.

“This is a long time coming,” she said, noting the funding is the last of her allotment from the 2016 SPLOST. “Thank you for bringing this home as soon as you got here. You hit the ground running with this. I appreciate you championing this.”

Construction is expected to be complete by next spring, with initial staffing to be for administrative staff.

Register said a typical schedule for the precinct would be from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. as the police department works to fill a high number of vacancies, especially for patrol officers.

Precinct 6 isn’t initially being staffed for patrol staff. Most of the East Cobb area is covered by patrol units from Precinct 4, based on Lower Roswell Road, and stretching from Canton Road to the Powers Ferry Road corridor.

“It’s going to immediately impact the citizens and give them value,” he said.

Register said citizens could typically get daytime services including copies of police incident reports and for other law enforcement services.

“As our vacancies begin to dissipate, we’ll begin to slowly staff the precinct with about half the beats, as we bring it up to a fully staffed precinct,” he said.

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$2.2M in new funding sought to finish Cobb Police Precinct 6

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Cobb Police Precinct 6

Cobb public safety officials will ask commissioners on Tuesday for $2.2 million in reserve funding to complete the construction of a new police precinct in Northeast Cobb that’s been delayed by funding issues.

According to an agenda item, (you can read it here), the additional funding is needed to build out offices and other internal facilities for the long-delayed building, which is located next to the Mountain View Aquatic Center on Gordy Parkway at Sandy Plains Road.

An estimated $5.5 million has been spent thus far on the precinct, which was approved by Cobb voters in the 2016 Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) with a budget of $5 million.

Last June, commissioners approved a “maximum guaranteed price” of $5.4 million with Batson-Cook the contractor, as construction costs have been soaring since supply chain issues were prompted by COVID-19 closures.

Tuesday’s agenda item said that the additional funding from last year also has been depleted. The remaining work includes completing office space for command and administrative staff, holding cells, evidence rooms, workout rooms and “additional staff restrooms,” the agenda item states.

“Completing the project now will decrease construction costs and maintain the health of the existing structure,” the agenda item states. “An implementation plan for staffing is being developed by the Police Department to be executed upon completion of the project.”

The total estimated cost for the precinct is now $7.736 million.

Initial plans were for Cobb Police to house several specialized units at Precinct 6 but not have a patrol zone. Most of the East Cobb area is covered by patrol units from Precinct 4, based on Lower Roswell Road, and stretching from Canton Road to the Powers Ferry Road corridor.

The commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta).

The full agenda can be found by clicking here.

It also will be live-streamed on the county’s website, cable TV channel (Channel 24 on Comcast) and Youtube page. Visit cobbcounty.org/CobbTV for other streaming options.

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Motorcyclist injured in Barrett Parkway-Bells Ferry crash

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Motorcyclist injured Barrett-Bells Ferry crashCobb Police said Thursday that a motorcyclist was seriously injured this morning in a crash with a car at the intersection of Barrett Parkway and Bells Ferry Road.

Lt. Joseph McCloskey said in a news release that Zachary Newsome, 28 of Cartersville, was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.

Police said the crash took place at 9:22 a.m. when a black 2004 Buick Rainer driven by Gloria Kenny, 63, of Marietta, was traveling west on Piedmont Road when she approached the intersection of Bells Ferry Road.

McCloskey said that a black 2022 Harley Davidson Heritage Classic driven by Newsome was heading east on Barrett Parkway in a designated left turn lane for Bells Ferry northbound. 

 Police said that as the motorcycle was turning left onto Bells Ferry, it struck the Buick, and Newsome was ejected.

 McCloskey said Kenny suffered minor injuries and also was taken to Kennestone by a family member. 

 He said the crash investigation is continuing and that anyone with information should call the Cobb County Police Department at 770-499-3987.

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Seven Cobb firefighters disciplined for cheating on exam

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The Cobb Fire and Emergency Services Department said Wednesday that it has disciplined seven firefighters who were found to have “collaborated on answers in a proctored-exam situation.”

Cobb Fire Chief William Johnson
Cobb Fire and Emergency Services Chief Bill Johnson

A release issued by the Cobb Communications Office said that following an internal investigation, four of the firefighters were demoted from lieutenant to engineer, and three others—two engineers and a firefighter—were suspended without pay.

“We are extremely disappointed by the poor judgment of these firefighters,” Fire Chief William Johnson said in the release.  “We launched an investigation as soon as we learned of the accusation. Those involved cooperated with us and realized they had made a huge mistake. The punishment is severe but should send a message that this department will not tolerate any breach of ethical behavior.”

The release said the exam was a state-administered certification for becoming instructors on “specific fire apparatus operations.”

He said the seven individuals otherwise had “spotless records. The discipline rendered hopefully reinforced all the values that the department embraces. It is regrettable, but it shows we will handle these situations appropriately, knowing the department’s reputation is on the line.”

Johnson said the department will review how the courses in question are handled in Cobb County and will work “with the state to make any changes necessary.”

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Cobb Police hold vigil to honor officer killed in line of duty

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Vigil first Cobb Police officer killed in line of duty
Photos: Cobb Police Department

Thursday marked the 30th anniversary of the death of the first Cobb Police Officer killed by a firearm in the line of duty.

Shortly after midnight, Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer, other police officials and friends and family members of Robert Ingram gathered at the intersection of Marble Mill Road and Marr Avenue in Marietta.

That’s located near the Come-N-Get It Restaurant off the Church Street Extension.

And that’s where around 12:40 a.m. on July 13, 1993, Officer Ingram was checking the identification of a pedestrian spotted near the railroad tracks in what was regarded as a high-crime area.

He was shot and killed by a man with a hidden .380 caliber handgun who had been released from prison.

The suspect took Ingram’s patrol car to get away from the scene, and the abandoned vehicle was seen later in the day. Near Atlanta Road, George Russell Henry, on probation for burglaries and forgery, was arrested the same day and charged with the murder of Officer Ingram.Cobb Police vigil officer killed line of duty

Officer Ingram, a 1987 Sprayberry High School graduate, was only 24 years old when he died, and he had just gotten married. He had been on the Cobb Police force for two years, after attending Valdosta State University and serving in the U.S. Air Force.

He was posthumously awarded the Cobb Police Department’s Medal of Valor.

Henry pleaded guilty to Ingram’s murder in 1994 and was sentenced to death; he had appealed his verdict until his health-related death on Georgia’s death row in 2014.

The first Cobb Police officer to die in the line of duty was Lt. John William Hood, who was killed in 1960, several days after responding to a drag racing call on Roswell Road between Powers Ferry Road and what is now the Marietta Parkway.

His patrol vehicle was hit head-on by an 18-year-old driver who was speeding more than 100 mph and heading the wrong way and who also was killed in the crash.

Officer Drew Haynes Brown, a DUI officer, was killed in a 1983 crash when his patrol vehicle was struck by a drunk driver.

Cobb SWAT officers Stephen Gilmer and Matthew Reeves were killed in a 1999 standoff during a hostage rescue.

Officer Freddie Norman died in 2009, 21 years after his patrol vehicle was hit by a speeding car on Pat Mell Road. He was rendered a quadaplegic and was suffering from what were believed to be injuries sustained from the crash.

More information can be found by clicking the Cobb’s Fallen Heroes page prepared by the county.

Cobb Police vigil officer killed line of duty

Cobb Police vigil officer killed line of duty

Cobb Police vigil officer killed line of duty

Cobb Police vigil officer killed line of duty

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Register officially appointed as Cobb Public Safety Director

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Register officially appointed as Cobb Public Safety Director
Register with Cobb Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer and Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid.

Mike Register was a man of few words Tuesday, but he insisted on having a lot of people share in his return as Cobb Public Safety Director.

Cobb commissioners on Tuesday voted 5-0 to formally appoint Register to come back to his old job.

For the last year he has been the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and served as a deputy to Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens.

Register succeeds Randy Crider, who retired at the end of last year and was among those in attendance.

“Thank you for the opportunity to come back,” said Register, who was Cobb police chief and public safety director from 2017-2019.

Many of those he previously served with posed with him for photo ops, along with his wife and retired Cobb NAACP director Deane Bonner.

“Let’s do our job, let’s make Cobb County a better place for all,” he said, noting it’s been a “hard week” in the Cobb public safety community.

A former Cobb Sheriff’s deputy passed away, as did the 18-year-old daughter of Col. Eric Yeager, a 35-year Sheriff’s Office veteran.

Register wore a purple tie in honor of Kylie Yeager, a Marietta High School graduate.

“I’m glad to be home and appreciate the opportunity,” Register said.

Before the vote, Cupid said that “this is a decision [commissioners] all agreed on.”

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell told Register afterward “welcome home.” We’re glad to have you.”

In other action Tuesday, commissioners voted 5-0 to approve spending $720,897 for a sidewalk connecting the Walton High School campus on Bill Murdock Road with a new sports complex on Pine Road at Providence Road.

Commissioners also voted 5-0 to spend $204,000 for state and federal legislative consulting services with Dentons US LLP for 12 months.

Birrell also announced the appointment of East Cobb resident Susan Hampton to the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission.

She’s a banking and financial services professional who is the co-chair of the Cobb Public Safety Foundation, which provides support to public safety personnel.

Hampton replaces Larry Sernovitz, who resigned last week as rabbi at Temple Kol Emeth in East Cobb.

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GBI chief Register to return as Cobb Public Safety Director

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Less than a year after he became the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Mike Register is resigning.Mike Register, GBI Director

On Tuesday the Cobb Board of Commissioners will vote on confirming his appointment, which was announced late Thursday afternoon by Cobb County government.

Register was both Cobb police chief and public safety director between 2017 and 2019, then resigned for what he said were family reasons.

In 2021, he was named one of the top assistants to newly elected Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens, a former Cobb police officer.

In August 2021, Register left that job after he was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to head the GBI. Register succeeded Vic Reynolds, a former Cobb District Attorney and current Cobb Superior Court judge.

“It has been an honor to be the director of the GBI and serve under one of Georgia’s greatest governors, Brian Kemp,” Register said in the county release.

“I leave a great law enforcement agency with some of the most dedicated and competent professionals I have ever worked with. I look forward to leading the tremendous men and women who make up public safety in Cobb County and once again serve a great community.”

Register would succeed Randy Crowder, who retired at the end of 2022. Current Cobb Fire Chief Bill Johnson also has been serving as interim public safety director.

Public safety includes the county’s police, fire and emergency services, emergency management, 911 and animal services departments.

Register has had a 30-year career in public safety, including a stint as Clayton police chief. He is a past member of the Georgia Peace Officers Standard Training Council and the state Judicial Qualification Commission and served on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces’ Executive Board.

“We are thrilled that he has agreed to come back and lead Public Safety in Cobb,” Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said in the Cobb government release. “We are making tremendous strides in public safety, and it will be a tremendous benefit to our citizens to have a director who has already forged relationships in the community and has a deep understanding of the opportunities we have as a county.”

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Police: Missing East Cobb juvenile ‘safely returned to family’

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Marietta Police said late Tuesday that a 13-year-old boy living in an East Cobb apartment complex is back at home.Missing East Cobb juvenile found safe

Police said Elijah James went missing from his home in the 2600 block of Bentley Road (Stratford Ridge Apartments) Tuesday night, and according to his family, “he is believed to be an at-risk youth.”

He was last seen on foot on Delk Road, heading toward Terrell Mill Road, according to police.

The initial message went out around 10:30 Tuesday, and police followed up with another message about an hour later saying that James “has been located and safely returned to his family.”

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Cobb Police K9 dies in hot patrol car during training session

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Cobb K9 dies in hot patrol car

The Cobb Police Department said Tuesday that one of its own died in the line of duty on Monday.

Sgt. Wayne Delk said in a release Tuesday that Chase, a member of the department’s K9 unit, was left in an officer’s vehicle Monday afternoon during a police active shooter training session at Allatoona High School.

Delk said that the dog was left there in a kennel while officers conducted a training session in the school, and that police personnel checked on the animal every 15 minutes or so.

He said air conditioning was being provided to the animal in the car of his handler, Officer Neill.

But when an officer checked on Chase around 2 p.m., Delk said, the dog was unresponsive.

That’s because the air conditioning system in the car wasn’t working, according to police.

“Life-saving measures were started by Officer Neill, other Cobb Officers, and Cobb County Fire personnel” who were on the scene for the active shooter training, Delk said.

The dog was taken to a nearby emergency veterinary hospital but the animal died due to “heat-related injuries,” the Cobb Police release said.

“Preliminary information indicates that other safety systems did not properly activate and the temperature quickly rose in the vehicle,” Delk said.

“This is a horrible incident and our investigators are continuing to gather information regarding the vehicle system failures that led to this tragedy.”

Responses to the department’s social media postings about the incident included many that were critical of that action, while others defended the police.

UPDATED, June 7: The Cobb Police Department published this post this morning to explain why it keeps dogs inside patrol vehicles, and how an alert system is triggered:

“If the air conditioning system fails and the temperature reaches a point where it’s too hot, the safeguard automatically turns on the lights and the sirens, the windows automatically go down, and a fan turns on. The handler is notified and returns to their vehicle to address the problem.

“The patrol vehicle is always left running with the air conditioning on, but should something go wrong, the vehicle is equipped with a safeguard to protect the canine. Unfortunately, this vehicle had multiple failures, the alert system did not activate, and the handler was not alerted about an issue until they returned to the vehicle to check on the canine.”

Delk said that Chase was later taken to the Cobb County Animal Shelter and would be transported to the University of Georgia for a necropsy.

Chase was a four-year-old Belgian malinois born in Hungary and was named after Chase Maddox, a Locust Grove police officer killed in the line of duty in 2018.

The dog had been on duty with Cobb Police since April 2020, and his duties included narcotics detection, criminal apprehension, tracking, building searches and evidence recovery.

Cobb Police said in a separate social media posting that Chase “seized thousands of dollars worth of illegal narcotics, with numerous arrests and apprehensions.”

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Suspects captured after Bentley-Windy Hill Road vehicle chase

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suspect arrested Windy Hill Road vehicle chase
The chase ended at the Pappadeaux restaurant (blue star) after beginning along Bentley Road (upper right corner). OpenStreetMap

UPDATED, MAY 27:

Cobb Police said on Saturday that all three suspects have been captured.

Public Information Officer Aaron Wilson said in a release that the other two suspects were taken into custody at the Country Hearth Inn and Suites (2767 Windy Hill Road) after conducting surveillance.

Wilson said that police obtained a search warrant and asked the suspects to come out, but they declined. He said that the Cobb Police Violent Crime Bureau was called to the scene, and “with their assistance, officers were able to get the two suspects into custody.”

Wilson said all three suspects were listed as runaway juveniles and were not identified.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

Cobb Police said Friday that they have captured one person and two other suspects are at-large after a vehicle chase along in the Bentley Road-Windy Hill Road area earlier this morning.

A Precinct 3 press release said that around 4 a.m. Friday, a Flock license-plate reader alerted officers to a stolen vehicle in the Bentley Road area, and that the vehicle matched the description given by Marietta Police of being involved in several car break-ins in the vicinity.

Cobb Police said an officer spotted the vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop but the driver got away.

The driver “operated the vehicle recklessly” as officers pursued, according to police, and the vehicle continued to the Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen (2830 Windy Hill Road).

Police said the driver lost control and the vehicle crashed, and three suspects fled on foot.

Police said a K9 unit found one of the suspects hiding in a bush near the Belmont Place apartments and made an arrest. Meanwhile, other officers pursued the other suspects, but they got away, Cobb Police said.

One of suspects jumped a bridge rail and ran down a hill, with an officer deploying a Taser. But that didn’t work, and the suspect continued to flee. The officer sustained cuts to his right hand, a bruise to left thigh, and had a swollen left foot, and was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital for treatment, police said.

Police said they recovered three guns at the scene where the vehicle was ditched, with two confirmed as having been stolen, but K9 units were unable to locate the two other suspects.

The Precinct 3 release didn’t describe the vehicle or identify the suspects.

There’s no booking information available at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.

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Cobb Police: Pedestrian killed on I-75 near Windy Hill Road

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Cobb Police said that a woman walking along Interstate 75 early Sunday north of  the Windy Hill Road intersection was killed after being struck by a vehicle.Cobb Police, Powers Ferry Road crash, East Cobb crime forum

Public Information Officer Aaron Wilson said in a release Monday that Rebecca D. Poole, 40, was walking eastbound from an eastern shoulder of I-75 shortly before 5 a.m. when she was hit by a black 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross driven by Maria Salas Bracho, 24, of Marietta, who traveling was northbound on I-75 in the second lane from the right.

Wilson said that Salas Bracho was not injured but Poole was pronounced dead at the scene by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office.

He said her next of kin has been notified and that anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

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Cobb Police capture Atlanta mass shooting suspect

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UPDATED 8:25 PM

Cobb Police say they have arrested Deion Patterson and will release more information in a joint press conference with Atlanta Police.

Follow-up story can be found by clicking here.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Cobb Police said Wednesday that they are assisting Atlanta Police and other law enforcement agencies in trying to apprehend a man whom they say shot at least five people at Midtown hospital, one fatally.Midtown Atlanta shooting suspect

In a social media message posted around 3:15 p.m., Cobb Police said they have assigned officers in the search “after reports he may have come to Cobb County. Portions of Cobb County that border Atlanta may see heavier than normal presence.”

Cobb Police said in another message a few minutes later that “reports of a recovered carjacked vehicle near Campbell Middle School are not correct. We will update with information as it becomes available.”

Another message posted around 3:45 p.m. said the search was taking place in the Vinings, Cumberland and Truist Park areas.

At 4:25 p.m., Cobb Police said that “reports of shots fired at 200 Galleria Pkwy were a false alarm. No shots fired.”

The Smyrna Police Department posted a message shortly after 2 p.m. saying it had received “credible information that a vehicle possibly connected to the midtown shooting was seen in the area of Campbell Rd and Atlanta Rd.

“Officers responded to the area to assist in the search, but the vehicle was not there. Smyrna Police Department is continuing to work with other law enforcement agencies in this matter. If you see anything suspicious please call 911.”

At 4:45 p.m. the Cobb Sheriff’s Office said it had activated its SWAT unit to support Cobb Police search efforts.

The Cobb Police postings came shortly after Atlanta Police lifted a shelter-in-place order in the area around 1110 West Peachtree St.

That’s the address of the Northside Hospital Midtown campus.

Atlanta Police identified the suspect as Deion Patterson, 24, and released the accompanying photos, saying that as of 2:46 p.m. he was still at-large but believed he was no longer in the Midtown area.

“The suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached,” Atlanta Police said shortly before 2 p.m.

The shelter-in-place was ordered around 12:40 p.m. after shots rang out at the medical building.

Midtown Atlanta shooting suspectPolice said four of the shooting victims were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and the person who died was pronounced deceased at the scene.

A Grady official said at a press conference that three of the shooting victims taken to the hospital are in critical condition—two of them had been in surgery—and the other is in the emergency room.

Atlanta Police held a media briefing later Wednesday afternoon, and said a 39-year-old woman was killed, and that the other victims taken to Grady also are women, ages 25, 29, 56 and 71.

This story will be updated.

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Cobb County outdoor burn ban continues through Sept. 30

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From May 1-Sept. 30, an outdoor burn ban is in effect in Cobb County.Cobb Fire Department fireworks safety reminder

Citizens may not burn leaves, tree limbs or other yard waste and forest land and may not use air curtain destructors for land clearing.

Cobb is one of 54 counties in Georgia with the outdoor burn ban, which includes unincorporated areas as well as the cities of Acworth, Kennesaw and Powder Springs.

Certain types of recreational fires and bonfires are permitted throughout the year, and there are restrictions that apply and some permits may be required.

Exempted from the burn ordinance are fires stemming from barbecue grills or pits, and outdoor fireplaces and similar devices that burn logs and clean wood.

For more information on permitted outdoor burning in Cobb, please click here.

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Man sentenced to 15 years in stalking at Indian Hills home

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A Dunwoody man has been given a 15-year sentence, with seven years to serve in prison, after pleading guilty this week to aggravated stalking and other charges stemming from an incident last May at a home in Indian Hills.Man sentenced stalking Indian Hills home

The Cobb District Attorney’s Office Friday said that Cobb Superior Court Judge Jason Marbut handed down the sentence to Anthony Merriwether, 66, after a negotiated plea on a number of felony counts.

Those included discharge of a gun near highway or street, reckless conduct, criminal damage to property in the first and second degrees, possession of cocaine, possession of firearm during commission of a felony, terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit theft by extortion, and possession of firearm by a convicted felon.

Merriwether was to have gone on trial this week, according to Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Office records.

Prosecutors said Merriwether was an ex-boyfriend of the victim’s deceased sister, and they had been in a dispute over the latter’s estate.

In a news release Friday, the DA’s office said that Cobb Police were called to the scene of a home on May 6, 2022, by a woman who reported an armed man in her front yard.

Prosecutors said that a window and interior walls of the home had been shattered by bullets, and that a man was shown on a Ring video camera driving to the home, stepping out of the car and making verbal threats for money.

According to an arrest warrant, the camera footage showed Merriwether pulling up in the driveway in a Porsche and he was in possession of two guns at the home on Indian Hills Parkway.

The victim was home at the time of the incident, the warrant said.

Merriwether had been given a portion of his former girlfriend’s estate, according to prosecutors, who said he believed he was entitled to the entire estate.

According to the release, Merriwether was arrested at a traffic stop on Johnson Ferry Road near Columns Drive shortly after the incident and was was found with two firearms and cocaine in his vehicle.

After his release, however, according to the DA’s office, Merriwether continued to contact the victim, despite a “no-contact” provision of his bond.

Another warrant taken out on Nov. 14 states that Merriwether used his deceased girlfriend’s e-mail address between Oct. 24 and Oct. 26 to send several messages “which contained threats of death, violence and intimidating statements” toward the same victim.

On Nov. 17, Merriwether was arrested on the aggravated stalking charge for violating bond conditions, and he has been detained ever since at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.

He was denied bond in December after a probable cause hearing, according to Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s office records.

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