East Cobb Crime & Fire Archives

East Cobb man indicted for shooting at police in standoff

May 28, 2021 5:49 PM by Wendy Parker

An East Cobb man charged with shooting at police officers during a standoff at his home last fall has been indicted on 14 felony counts by a Cobb grand jury. East Cobb grandfather sentenced

The Cobb District Attorney’s office said that that Donald Terry Welborn was indicted on Thursday on nine counts of aggravated assault against a police officer, three counts of aggravated assault and two counts of possessing a firearm while committing a felony.

Welborn, 57, was arrested at his home on Kingsley Drive (off Post Oak Tritt Road and near Johnson Ferry Road) on Sept. 22, 2020, hours after neighbors began hearing shots from his residence around 5:30 a.m.

Cobb Police, including a SWAT unit, arrived on the scene, beginning a standoff that closed off the New Castle neighborhood for the rest of the morning.

During the standoff, police said Welborn shot at multiple officers as negotiators tried to get him to come out of the home. According to the indictment, Welborn took aim at nine different officers.

He was taken into custody about six hours later with no injuries and was charged with eight felony counts, police said.

Welborn remains at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center without bond, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office booking records.

In February, Welborn’s attorney attempted to have his client’s case assigned to a mental health court, but that request was turned down by the Cobb District Attorney’s office.

According to Cobb Superior Court records, assistant district attorney Maurice Brown told Robert Citronberg that “Defendant’s offense does not appear to be sufficiently connected to Defendant’s health diagnosis” but did not elaborate.

According to a criminal warrant taken out against Welborn, he went into a bedroom where Susan Welborn was sleeping, then shot at a ceiling fan.

Cobb court records indicate that she is Welborn’s wife, but they had been separated. Susan Welborn filed for divorce in Cobb Superior Court on the same day of the shootings.

The warrant also states that Welborn was inside his residence when he shot at the homes of two neighbors, one next door and another across the street, striking their homes, before police arrived.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Fundraiser started for Cobb liquor store owner shot during robbery

May 27, 2021 12:59 PMMay 27, 2021 10:59 AM by Wendy Parker

Govani family, Cobb liquor store owner shot

The Sprayberry PTSA has been getting out word about a parent in its school community who’s fighting for his life after being shot during an armed robbery earlier this month.

Kaushik Govani, 55, remains in critical condition after being shot by armed robbers on May 12 at the Bottle Shop liquor store that he owns in Acworth, according to Cobb Police.

Police said Thursday morning that they’ve arrested a suspect, Rashaad Snipes, 19, who’s being held at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center for armed robbery, aggravated assault and aggravated battery.

Police said that when officers arrived at the liquor store on Baker Road in Acworth around 9:35 p.m. on May 12, they found him lying on the floor with gunshot wounds.

Govani was rushed to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, and a fundraiser started by his family said he was shot three times, causing serious damage to his heart, diaphragm, stomach, liver, and spleen.

Because he is the sole provider of a family of five, the goal is to raise $200,000, with more than $45,000 generated in pledges thus far.

Update: Suspect in Northeast Cobb home shooting captured

May 25, 2021 10:11 PMMay 24, 2021 6:09 PM by Wendy Parker

UPDATED Tuesday, May 25, 9:50 p.m.:

Cobb Police said Tuesday night that Cody Demmitt has been captured in Arkansas.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

The Cobb Police Department late Monday afternoon released a photo of a man suspected of injuring one person during a shooting on Sunday at a home in Northeast Cobb.

Cody Demmitt, Northeast Cobb home shooting suspect

Police said they’ve obtained an arrest warrant for Cody Demmitt, who remains at-large and is wanted for aggravated assault.

According to a police release, Demmitt shot multiple rounds at a residence at 3760 Westchase Drive, located in the Canterbury Ridge subdivision off Canton Road and near Hawkins Store Road.

Police said their detectives said were called to the home at 11:30 p.m. Sunday after a shooting had been reported.

Police said they found a male with a gunshot wound to a shoulder, and he was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police said Demmitt is a neighbor of the victim, and had not been allowed to attend a party at the home. Demmitt fired several shots in the house and fled the scene before law enforcement arrived, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident should call Cobb County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit at 770-499-3945.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb house fire ‘a total loss;’ residents escaped

May 10, 2021 3:05 PMMay 10, 2021 12:41 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb house fire

Reader Lori Seyfried sends in the photos and information about a house fire overnight on New Bedford Drive in the New Bedford subdivision, located off Lower Roswell Road near Hyde Road.

It’s her son’s house, and she lives nearby, and reports that a neighbor’s video showed that the fire started after midnight Monday on the back porch, and that the blaze likely hit a propane tank from the grass grill.

She said the fire “got fast around 2:30 a.m. Homeowners and their dog got out. It’s a total loss.”

Nicholas Danz, a spokesman for Cobb Fire, said the fire is still under investigation but did not have more information.

East Cobb house fire

East Cobb apartment fire destroys unit; pets rescued

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Man gets life sentence in strangling death of East Cobb mother

May 5, 2021 3:44 PM by Wendy Parker

Xi-Anna Graham, East Cobb mother strangled — *Xi-Anna Graham*

A man charged with the 2018 killing of a mother at her home in East Cobb has been sentenced to life in prison, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.

On Wedneday, Gene Scarboro, 29, pleaded guilty to choking to death Xi-Anna Graham, 24, at her home on Bonnie Dell Drive, and was issued the sentence by Cobb Superior Court Judge Angela Z. Brown, the DA’s office said.

Scarboro was indicted in November 2018 on charges of malice murder and cruelty to children in the third degree stemming from the incident on Aug. 23, 2018, the release said.

During court testimony on Wednesday, Scarboro said he and Graham began arguing early that day, and enraged, he put his arms around her neck until she stopped breathing.

He fled the scene and made an anonymous call to Marietta Police asking for a welfare check, according to court testimony. Officers said they saw Graham without a pulse lying on her bedroom floor and tried to revive her, but without success.

The Cobb Medical Examiner’s office concluded Graham died from asphyxia due to strangulation.

Graham’s four minor children were at home during the incident, and according to the DA office’s release, one of them who had heard previous banging noises said in an interview at SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center that Scarboro “always, he does bad things to her…and now he…killed her.”

The DA’s office said that at Wednesday’s hearing Graham’s father told the court “I held her in my arms and watched her take her first breath, and he took her breath away.”

Scarboro has been in custody since his arrest the day of the crime and by law will get credit for the time he has served, the Cobb DA’s office said.

The DA’s office also urges anyone suffering from abuse in a domestic relationship to contact LiveSAFE Resources by calling its 24-hour crisis line at 770-427-3390 or visiting its website.

East Cobb man gets life sentence for home contract shootings

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb apartment fire destroys 1 unit; 2 pets rescued

April 28, 2021 6:53 PM by Wendy Parker

The Hills at East Cobb, East Cobb apartment fire

Cobb firefighters on Wednesday limited an apartment fire in East Cobb to one unit, and rescued two pets along the way.

One unit was heavily damaged and another sustained water damage at The Hills at East Cobb (1716 Terrell Mill Road), according to a department social media posting Wednesday evening.

Cobb FD said that “12 firefighting apparatus arrived on scene to fight fire, search, provide water, and evacuate residents.”

There were no injuries, and two pets were rescued. A grease fire that started in the kitchen of one of the units threatened up to nine adjacent units and 20 more units in a connecting building, according to Cobb FD.

“Most house fires start in the kitchen. Never leave food unattended and make sure your heating elements are turned off,” the Cobb FD said after the fire had been contained.

Richardson to hold women’s self-defense class at East Cobb Park

April 20, 2021 3:50 PM by Wendy Parker

Richardson self-defense class

Submitted information:

In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, District Two Commissioner Jerica Richardson is hosting a women’s self-defense class and fundraiser 10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, April 24, at East Cobb Park. The class will be taught by A.C.T. Women’s Self-Defense and Chi Budo Kwon Martial Arts. Each participant should complete registration, have a partner (if possible), wear a mask and comfortable clothes and bring water. To register, click here. East Cobb Park is located at 3322 Roswell Road, Marietta.

The Cobb based nonprofit LiveSafe Resources provides help for sexual assault and domestic abuse survivors. To donate to this worthy cause, visit livesaferesources.org/donate.

Crime Victims’ Rights Week events include Cobb observations

April 13, 2021 12:16 PM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information: Crime Victims Rights Week

Cobb District Attorney Flynn D. Broady, Jr. announces that several events are planned to mark National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 18-24. This year’s theme is “Support Victims. Build Trust. Engage Communities.”

“Victims suffer emotionally, physically, and financially from the criminal acts committed against them. As a community and as service providers, we have an obligation to recognize the impact of crime on victims and to provide resources and assistance to help victims heal,” said Kim McCoy, Director of the Victim Witness Assistance Unit in the Cobb DA’s Office. “This week of recognition and these planned events reinforce the commitment of this office to serve crime victims with dignity, respect, and honor and to engage community partners in the continuation of victim services, to build trust, and to engage the entire community in these efforts.”

This year marks the 40th anniversary of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. First designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week increases public awareness of, and knowledge about the wide range of rights and services available to people who have been victimized by crime.

Local Crime Victims’ Rights Week events will include:

April 13 – The Cobb Board of Commissioners will present a proclamation to mark Cobb County Crime Victims’ Rights Week during the Commission’s 9 a.m. meeting at 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta. Meetings are shown on cable TV; on the county’s website, www.cobbcounty.org; and on the Cobb County Government YouTube channel.

April 18 – The Crime Victims Advocacy Council and First Baptist Church, Decatur, will host the 31st Annual Homicide Memorial, from 3-5 p.m. outside at the church, 308 Clairemont Ave., Decatur. Please RSVP at www.cvaconline.org. DA Broady will be speaking at this event.

April 22, 1 p.m. – Georgia’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and partner agencies will host a virtual ceremony. Visit Georgia.cjcc.gov by April 15 to register.

April 24 – Premiere of “Run for Justice,” a virtual 5K run/walk fund-raiser to benefit liveSAFE Resources, Inc. and SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center. This year, participation is limited to our office and partner agencies, though our goal is to make this is annual public event beginning in 2022.

In addition, Cobb recently embarked on a multi-year project to establish a Family Justice Center to better serve victims of domestic and interpersonal family violence, child and elder abuse, and human trafficking. Project partners will attend the 21st Annual International Family Justice Center Conference, hosted by the Alliance for Hope.

Cobb’s FJC Site Coordinator TaNesha McAuley is also conducting several Listening Tours with community partners to learn about the services they provide to victims, and providing education on the FJC model.

The Listening Tour will ultimately expand into our Cobb communities as residents are invited to be part of the planning, development, and implementation of Cobb’s FJC. For FJC updates, visit www.cobbda.com or email fjccobb@cobbcounty.org.

Residents can stay informed about events, and look for a series of brief videos for Crime Victims’ Rights Week, on Facebook, @cobbda.

For information about national efforts to promote 2021 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, visit the Office for Victims of Crime website at www.ovc.gov and the National Organization for Victim Assistance at www.trynova.org/ncvrw.

East Cobb man gets life sentence for killing home contractor

March 30, 2021 5:33 PM by Wendy Parker

Larry Epstein, East Cobb man gets life sentence — *Larry Epstein has been in custody since the March 6, 2019 shootings at his home on Wellington Lane.*

An East Cobb homeowner set to go on trial next month for shooting a home contractor to death and seriously wounding another has been sentenced to life in prison.

During a plea hearing in Cobb Superior Court on Tuesday, Larry Epstein, 70, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to murder, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon while committing a felony, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s office.

He has been in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center since March 2019 for shooting Jake Horne, then 21, and Gordon Montcalm, then 38, who were leaving his home after doing some electrical contracting work.

Horne was sitting in a van outside Epstein’s home on Wellington Lane off Johnson Ferry Road on March 6, 2019 when he was shot execution-style in the head with a .22-caliber handgun with a suppressor, according to the Cobb DA’s office.

According to statements at Tuesday’s hearing, Montcalm was getting ready to leave in another vehicle and tried to get away, but Epstein fired his gun at him several times.

According to testimony offered at Tuesday’s hearing, Epstein’s wife arrived at the home just before police arrived, and Montcalm screamed at her that Epstein had shot him and Horne.

The Cobb DA’s office said Montcalm escaped to a neighboring home and wounds to his face, back and arms were treated by a nurse living at that home and who called 911.

Horne was taken off life support the following day at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where Montcalm was hospitalized with long recovery.

“Epstein executed Jake, robbing him of life’s most precious experiences—owning a home, getting married, having children—at the young age of 21. And even though Montcalm survived, he is forever scarred, both physically and emotionally,” said Jesse Evans, the Cobb deputy chief assistant district attorney.

Horne’s uncle John Savell told the court the loss of his nephew leaves an “unfillable void,” according to the Cobb DA’s office, which said Montcalm did not attend the hearing but supported the case being resolved without a trial.

Cobb jury trials are set to resume in April after nearly a year of backlogs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month Epstein’s attorney tried to delay the trial until August, saying that his client wanted to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before having a trial. Cobb Superior Court Judge Ann Harris also had ordered a psychiatric evaluation of Epstein, whose attorney has said in court filings suffers from mental illness.

At Tuesday’s hearing, prosecutors said that after officers arrived at the Epstein home, they discovered a surveillance camera video that showed part of the murder.

Police blocked off the street, and the Cobb DA’s office said that after Epstein surrendered peacefully, he waived his Miranda rights.

Testimony introduced at the hearing said during a search warrant at Epstein’s home, officers found firearms, including the murder weapon and the suppressor hidden in the garage.

Prosecutors aid the handgun was “positively linked by ballistics testing to the shootings of Horne and Montcalm.”

The day after Epstein’s arrest, his wife filed for divorce.

Harris called the incident an “irreparable tragedy” as she issued the life sentence.

Attorney for East Cobb murder defendant seeks continuance

March 22, 2021 4:00 PM by Wendy Parker

Jake Horne, East Cobb shooting victim, East Cobb man indicted murder — *Home contractor Jake Horne died after being shot on a job at an East Cobb home in March 2019.*

The attorney for an East Cobb man charged with murdering a home contractor in March 2019 and badly wounding another worker is seeking a continuance in his upcoming trial.

Larry Epstein, now 71, has been ordered to go on trial in Cobb Superior Court in April, when jury trials are allowed to resume following lengthy COVID-19 delays.

But David Willingham, Epstein’s lawyer, filed a motion on Thursday seeking to delay the trial until August so his client can be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Judge Ann Harris issued an order on March 12 for Epstein to appear in person for his trial. Last week she also called for a psychiatric evaluation. In December, Willingham filed a motion seeking a plea of mental incompetence.

Willingham said in his motion last week that Epstein has not been offered an opportunity to be vaccinated at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, where he has been in custody for more than two years. During his incarceration, Willingham said, Epstein has faced several health issues and has been hospitalized twice.

Epstein is “in a high-risk category for complications should he contract COVID-19,” Willingham said in his motion. He said his client is “ready, willing, able and eager” to be vaccinated and develop antibodies “before he is physically compelled to be present in a public court room with a jury of his peers—strangers from the community whose exposure to COVID-19 and overall health, including the health of others, the Court has no way to properly vet.”

Judges and court staff have been eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine since last Wednesday.

Read the stories

Epstein was indicted in May 2019 for murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm while committing a felony in the death of Jake Horne, 21 of Kennesaw, and the shooting of Gordon Montcalm, then 37, of Buchanan, Ga.

They were finishing up their job as electrical contractors at Epstein’s home in the Wellington neighborhood off Johnson Ferry Road on March 6, 2019 when Cobb Police said Epstein shot them with a .220-caliber handgun, according to his indictment.

Police sealed off the neighborhood on Wellington Lane after getting a call for a possible active shooter, deploying SWAT units and its mobile command center to the scene.

Epstein surrendered peacefully a short time later, after Horne and Montcalm were rushed to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, police said at the time.

Horne was pronounced dead the following day from a gunshot wound to the head. Montcalm was shot five times and faced a long recovery.

During a court hearing in March 2019, police said video surveillance camera footage indicated Epstein was enraged about his pets being harmed, although they said couldn’t find any evidence of that.

In his December motion, Willingham said Epstein has a history of mental illness and suffers from paranoid delusions, including telling family members he tried to commit suicide in jail “when in fact he had not.”

Harris’ order calls for the psychiatric evaluation to indicate “whether or not the accused had the mental capacity to distinguish right from wrong” and “whether or not the presence of a delusional compulsion overmastered the accuser’s will to resist committing the alleged act.”

On Monday, Cobb deputy chief assistant district attorney Jesse Evans filed a motion to prevent the defense from introducing expert psychiatric witness testimony, saying it hasn’t received an expert report in timely fashion. Evans asked the court to impose an April 5 deadline for that report.

Willingham didn’t reference Epstein’s mental health matters in his motion for a continuance last week. He said that given the chance for further COVID-19 and other delays, his client “understands this case may not occur until well after August 2021.”

Cobb schools Code Red alert investigated as cyber attack

February 24, 2021 3:44 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb County School District said Wednesday that its emergency alert system that was set off on Feb. 2, prompting a brief Code Red lockdown at all schools, was not a false alarm but a deliberate cyber attack.

The district said in a news release that what’s being investigated as a cyber crime by the Cobb Police Department is continuing.

Spokeswoman Nan Kiel said in the release that the district can’t reveal more details, but “we have been given permission to share the Technology Based Crimes Unit’s conclusion that the false alarm signal occurred through a targeted, external attack of CCSD’s AlertPoint system.”

AlertPoint is an emergency alert system which allows each employee within a school—including administrators, teachers and other staffers—to activate a device should an emergency occur. This includes fires, active shooters and other intruders, physical altercations and medical emergencies.

The system was implemented starting in 2017 and is one component of the district’s CobbShield emergency and safety program developed in recent years.

When an AlertPoint device is activated, alert information is relayed via computer and mobile devices to school-level administrators and security personnel, as well as at the school district office, within seconds.

The location and identity of the person sending the alert also is transmitted. When a “Code Red” alert is triggered, flashing lights, beeping sounds and voice messages ring out, and the intercom system indicates a lockdown situation is underway.

The AlertPoint system is patterned after existing school fire emergency procedures.

After the Feb. 2 incident in which AlertPoint was triggered at all 112 schools, the district said the cause was a systemwide malfunction and that no students or staff were threatened.

On Wednesday, however, the district said it immediately asked for police assistance in investigating the matter as a possible cyber attack.

“Fairly quickly, it appeared that the false alarm signal (1) was intentionally triggered rather than a malfunction, and (2) was uniquely limited to the AlertPoint system in CCSD,” according to the statement, which said the district then contacted police,

“We do not yet know the motives of those attacking the District’s AlertPoint system,” Wednesday’s district statement said, which did not indicate possible suspects.

“However, it appears the crime was committed to disrupt education across the District, create district-wide chaos, and produce anxiety in the District’s students, parents, and staff. This was not a ‘prank,’ nor will it be treated like one.”

Kiel said that anyone with information related to the cyber attack is asked to contact the Cobb County Police Department’s Tip Line at 770-499-4111 or the CCSD Police Department’s Tip Line at 470-689-0298.

Grand jury clears Cobb officer in deadly shooting of black teen

February 18, 2021 7:47 PMFebruary 18, 2021 7:14 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb grand jury clears officer — *“As an African-American, you hate to see an African-American shot down,” Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady said Thursday. “But the fact is we have to follow the law.”*

Cobb County District Attorney Flynn Broady said Thursday he will not prosecute a Cobb Police officer who fatally shot a black teenager last summer after a grand jury declined to return an indictment.

Broady said at a press conference at the Cobb Police Training Academy in Austell that as far as he is concerned, the case involving the officer who shot and killed Vincent Truitt, 17, last July 13 after a traffic chase, is closed.

Broady’s remarks came after the grand jury deliberated all day Thursday to review police reports from the officers and video camera footage taken from police vehicles and body and surveillance cameras.

A video from one of the pursuing police cars was shown during the press conference, including the shooting of Truitt. He was a passenger in a car that was suspected of being stolen, and whose driver took police on a high-speed chase in South Cobb, and ultimately behind an industrial building off Riverside Parkway.

The death was ruled a homicide by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office, and after a probe by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation—which investigates all officer-involved shootings—the case was turned over to the Cobb DA’s office.

Truitt’s family said earlier this month it is planning a $50 million lawsuit against Cobb Police, alleging he was running away from police and wasn’t armed.

They also have been asking for months for the release of camera footage of the shooting, accused former DA Joyette Holmes of not properly investigating the case and demanded the resignation of Cobb Police Chief Tim Cox.

Broady and deputy chief assistant DA Jason Salibi said the footage seen by the grand jury on Thursday clearly showed Truitt brandishing a weapon. He suffered two gunshot wounds and died 12 hours later at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Broady said the unnamed officer followed all proper departmental procedures for use-of-force as well as state law.

“As an African-American, you hate to see an African-American shot down,” Broady said. “But the fact is we have to follow the law. And the law says the officer is within his rights.

“If you see the the video, you see plenty of places where that young man could have hid and presented an opportunity to ambush the officer or the officers who were chasing the other assailant.”

Salibi said Truitt’s family was called to the Cobb court chambers Thursday and briefed in a separate room about the grand jury proceedings, including the decision not to indict.

Broady said footage that wasn’t shown to the grand jury, out of deference for Truitt’s family, was when a wounded Truitt asked police why he had been shot.

“Because you had a gun,” Broady quoted the police officer as saying.

Salibi said that in the aftermath of the shooting, police rendered aid to Truitt, who lived in Fulton County.

The week before he defeated Holmes in the November elections, Broady appeared with Truitt’s family at a Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting that involved a group called Movement 4 Black Lives.

According to the Cobb County Courier, Truitt’s family’s attorney has been critical of Broady since he took office, and said that they “will be presenting Truitt’s case to the United Nations as an example of the ‘police brutality epidemic’ in the United States.”

Broady said Thursday that although the officer was never charged with a crime, the grand jury was presented evidence as though it were a criminal case, as part of a policy of his office to have a grand jury review any officer-involved shooting.

When asked what message he may have for those in the community still troubled by the shooting, Broady said that “we cannot let emotions dictate how we see things, that we have to look at the facts.”

Quoting Malcolm X, Broady said, “I am for justice, no matter who it’s for or who it’s against. It’s my job as district attorney that I look out for everybody. Not just for the victims but also the offenders, to make sure that they get a fair hearing based on the evidence, and that’s what we did today.”

At a later media briefing, Cox said that “I recognize that the loss of life is tragic. I pray for that family every day.”

He said that the police officer who shot Truitt has been under heavy stress, “and I pray for that officer” as well.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb Fire conducting training structure burn on Pete Shaw Road

February 10, 2021 12:40 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Fire Training burn

Cobb County government is sending out word that you might see some smoke and fire this afternoon along a stretch of Sandy Plains Road.

There’s no need to be worried, because the Cobb Fire and Emergency Services Department is conducting what’s called an “acquired structure burn” for training purposes Wednesday at an empty homesite on Pete Shaw Road.

That’s scheduled to go on until 6 p.m. at 3100 Pete Shaw Road, near the intersection of Sandy Plains Road and Wigley Road.

According to the Cobb Tax Assessor’s office, the two-story brick home was built in 1976.

Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission issues COVID fraud alert

February 10, 2021 12:15 PMFebruary 10, 2021 9:07 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission COVID fraud alert

The Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission is getting out the word about COVID-19 fraud, and offers suggestions and resources to help you prevent from becoming a victim:

Be aware that criminals are attempting to exploit COVID-19 worldwide through a variety of scams.

Be on the lookout for antibody testing fraud schemes. Never share your personal or health information to anyone other than known and trusted medical professionals. Learn more about what to avoid.

Be cautious of unsolicited healthcare fraud schemes of testing and treatment through emails, phone calls, or in person. The U.S. have medical professionals and scientist working hard to find a cure, approved treatment, and vaccine for COVID-19. Learn more about what to avoid

Be wary of unsolicited telephone calls and e-mails from individuals claiming to be IRS and Treasury employees. Remember IRS first form of communications is by mail – not by phone. Learn more about fraudulent schemes related to IRS

Be aware of unemployment insurance fraud and learn the steps to take if you suspect criminals have exploited your identity. Learn more about unemployment insurance fraud.

Criminals will likely continue to use new methods to exploit COVID-19 worldwide. Stay alert and stay informed about common fraud schemes related to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Find out more about types of scams.
If you think you are a victim of a scam or attempted fraud involving COVID-19, you can report it without leaving your home by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

Cobb Fire seeks public help in investigating Vinings arsons

January 13, 2021 1:33 PM by Wendy Parker

Vining arsons

Photo and text below from Nicholas Danz, Public Information Officer, Cobb Fire & Emergency Services:

WHAT: We suspect that 10 intentionally set fires have occurred in and around this location. 3 of those occurred within 12 hours spanning between January 10-11, 2021.

WHEN: From September 2020 – January 2021

WHERE: WestHaven at Vinings, 5900 Suffex Green Ln NW, Atlanta, GA 30339

WHY: We would like your help gathering information related to these incidents. Please contact our Fire Investigations Unit.

HOW: There is a reward up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect(s). You can call the Cobb County Fire Investigations Unit at 770-499-3869 or the attached hotline number for the HEAT program sponsored by Georgia Arson Control.

Police identify suspect in death of Sedalia Park ES student

December 29, 2020 4:02 PM by Wendy Parker

Kennedy Maxie, Sedalia Park student shot

Atlanta Police said Tuesday they have secured felony warrants against a man they believe fired the shots that led to the death of a Sedalia Park Elementary School student last week.

Police said during a news conference that Daquan Reed, 24, is wanted for murder and other charges stemming from a Dec. 21 incident at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead.

Kennedy Maxie, 7, was riding in a car with her mother and aunt after Christmas shopping when she was struck by a stray bullet, police said previously, and that she was rushed to Childrens Healthcare Atlanta Scottish Rite.

The girl died on Saturday night, and a $15,000 reward for information about the case continued.

Police said Tuesday that there was an argument and a fight in the parking lot of the Saks Fifth Avenue store at Phipps and that Reed may have been among the individuals involved.

Lt. Pete Malecki, an Atlanta Police homicide investigator, said Reed left the scene in a car and began shooting, and the gunfire hit the girl in the back of the head.

The other warrants against Reed include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during a crime and reckless conduct.

Malecki said it was “relentless investigative work” that led to identifying a suspect, but that while “we have a lot of work to do to apprehend Mr. Reed . . . it’s our hope that this will provide a sliver of relief to Kennedy’s family.”

A fundraiser set up by the girl’s godmother to provide assistance to the family has received more than $60,000 in donations, and many messages of condolence:

“My heart is broken. May God comfort the family and give them strength. And, I pray those responsible for this senseless tragedy be found and brought to justice quickly before they hurt anyone else. RIP baby girl.”

2 arrested for false imprisonment, battery of East Cobb woman

January 2, 2021 2:18 PMDecember 29, 2020 2:26 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Police said a 66-year-old woman was the victim of battery and false imprisonment at her home in East Cobb last week, including having her hands tied behind her back with a cable wire, and have arrested her daughter and another man.

Jenica Bratton, 22, and Matthew Hurlebaus, 21, were booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on Dec. 23, and both remain in custody on bonds of $7,920 and $8,470, respectively, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.

UPDATED, SATURDAY, Jan. 2: Bratton has bonded out of jail; Hurlebaus remains in custody.

They’re facing felony charges of false imprisonment and exploitation and intimidation of elderly and disabled persons.

Bratton, whose booking report indicates she is homeless, also has been charged with a misdemeanor charge of battery and a felony charge of drug possession.

According to Bratton’s arrest warrant, Bratton was at her mother’s home on Housely Road on the afternoon of Dec. 23 and got into a verbal altercation with the older woman that turned violent.

Bratton then ordered her to an upstairs area of a shed on the property, binding her mother’s arms behind her back with a cable wire, according to the warrant.

The warrant said Hurlebaus persuaded Bratton to unbind the mother while he watched her.

According to Hurlebaus’ warrant, the older woman tried fleeing the area, but he blocked an exit to the shed, preventing her from escaping.

The older woman suffered multiple small lacerations around her mouth and chin, according to Bratton’s warrant, as well as bruises on her left wrist from the cable.

Bratton and Hurlebaus were later arrested at his home on Post Oak Tritt Road, and she also was found to be in possession of Acetaminophen and Hydrocodone pills, according to her warrant.

Sedalia Park ES student dies after being shot in Buckhead

December 28, 2020 5:42 PMDecember 27, 2020 1:34 PM by Wendy Parker

Kennedy Maxie, Sedalia Park student shot

WSB-TV is reporting Sunday afternoon that Kennedy Maxie, a 7-year-old student at Sedalia Park Elementary School in East Cobb, has died after being shot in the head in Buckhead on Monday.

The television station said the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the girl died Saturday evening.

She had been at Children’s Healthcare Atlanta at Scottish Rite since being taken there Monday evening, after she and her mother and aunt were leaving Phipps Plaza, where they had been Christmas shopping.

Atlanta Police said the girl was sitting in the back of a car when she was struck by a stray bullet. A reward for information about the incident had been raised to $15,000.

But there have been few details from police about leads in the case, and about why there was shooting in the area.

The girl’s godmother began a fundraiser that has netted more than $45,000. There has been no word from her or the family since a Christmas Eve message.

UPDATED: Atlanta Police Monday confirmed the girl’s death and said a $15,000 reward remains.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Fundraiser started for Sedalia Park student shot in Buckhead

December 28, 2020 2:57 PMDecember 24, 2020 11:20 AM by Wendy Parker

Kennedy Maxie, Sedalia Park student shot

UPDATED Sunday, Dec. 27, 1:35 p.m.: WSB-TV is reporting that the girl died Saturday night.

A Sedalia Park Elementary School student is fighting for her life after being shot in the head in Buckhead earlier this week, and friends are working to raise money for her family.

Kennedy Maxie, 7, was rushed to Children’s Healthcare Scottish Rite after the Monday incident. She was riding in a car with her mother and aunt after Christmas shopping near Phipps Plaza when she was shot in the head by a stray bullet, according to Atlanta police.

An online fundraiser begun by Cassandra Wood, the girl’s godmother, sought $25,000 and had raised more than $37,000 from more than 500 donors as of Thursday.

Wood said the donations will go directly to the girl’s mother. The family lives in Mableton. “Please pray for a Christmas miracle for our precious girl!” Wood said in her appeal.

A $15,000 reward for information has been set by Crime Stoppers of Greater Atlanta (404-577-8477) after several individual donations.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Shallowford Road crash results in vehicular homicide charge

December 7, 2020 5:44 PM by Wendy Parker

Shallowford Road crash

An Acworth woman whom Cobb Police said caused a fatal crash on Shallowford Road the day before Thanksgiving has been charged with vehicular homicide.

Danielle Erickson, 24, was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center Thursday afternoon on three misdemeanor charges of second-degree vehicular homicide, driving on the wrong side of the road and speeding, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.

She was released a short time after her booking on a $5,720 property bond, those records show.

Police said last week that Erickson was behind the wheel of a white 2014 Chevrolet Cruze in a westbound lane of Shallowford on Nov. 235 at 11:48 a.m. when the car veered into an eastbound lane at the intersection of Lassiter Road.

The Chevrolet struck a beige 2008 Kia Optima, which was headed east on Shallowford. The Kia then collided with a black 2017 GMC Yukon that also was also traveling eastbound, according to police.

Police said the driver of the Kia, Andrew Halloran, 47, of Roswell, was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to her arrest warrant, Erickson was driving between 47 and 60 mph in a zone with a speed limit of 45 mph. The warrant said the speeds were confirmed by information retrieved from her car’s event data recorder after police got a search warrant.

The warrant stated that Erickson caused another person’s death “without an intention to do so.”

Police said that Erickson and Jennifer Mire, 45, of Marietta, driver of the Yukon, did not require medical attention at the scene.

An online fundraiser for Halloran’s family has raised more than $47,000. He was active with the Lassiter High School Band booster club.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

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