East Cobb Crime & Fire Archives

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!

Cobb gets federal grant to establish a Family Justice Center

October 22, 2020 7:07 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information: Cobb Family Justice Center, Ga. Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

Cobb District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes announces that her office and its partners have been awarded a four-year grant worth up to $400,000 to create a Family Justice Center, where victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse can receive services in a single location.

“It is exciting that Cobb County has such great collaboration and support among victim-service providers, law enforcement and county government that we were successful in seeking out this opportunity,” DA Holmes said. “The partnering agencies are committed to the establishment of a Family Justice Center for our community so that we can serve the victim where they are rather than the victim having to seek services where the agencies are located. This streamlining of services will provide a safe place for victims and survivors to go to receive wrap-around and holistic services. I am devoted to leading in the planning, implementation, and ongoing partnership to build a Family Justice Center for Cobb County.”

Partners include LiveSAFE Resources, SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center, Inc., along with Cobb County Government, the Cobb Sheriff’s Office and Police Department, the Solicitor General’s Office, and Legal Aid of Cobb County. Partnering agencies and offices will have the opportunity to house representatives in the new center to serve victims.

Tracey B. Atwater is the Executive Director of LiveSAFE Resources.

“Too often, those seeking help after victimization must visit various service providers and agencies in order to get the assistance they need. This incredible new project will allow us and our community partners to better serve those in need by creating a collocated space, reducing barriers for victims seeking help,” she said.

Jinger Robins, Chief Executive Officer of SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center, Inc., also welcomed the project.

“What a great day for Cobb County citizens! The successful award from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council of funding for a Family Justice Center will serve all citizens in Cobb County and further ensure victims of crime are able to have the best access to all the services they deserve. SafePath is honored to be one of the partnering agencies as we work collaboratively to connect victims to services as they heal,” Robins said.

The grant is administered through Georgia’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council with federal dollars from the Victims of Crime Act. Only two other Georgia communities, Waycross and Macon, were awarded grants to create family justice centers. Savannah has the only existing center in Georgia.

The family justice center model has been identified as a best practice in the intervention and prevention of domestic violence by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. Documented and published outcomes include reduced homicides, increased victim safety and empowerment, reduced fear and anxiety for victims and their children, and reduced recantation by victims receiving this level of support.

Agencies that provided support for Cobb’s center in the application process include Center for Family Resources; Cobb Collaborative; the Division of Family and Children’s Services; Kennesaw State University’s WellStar College of Health and Human Services; police departments of Acworth, Kennesaw and Smyrna; the Georgia Commission on Family Violence; and the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia.

Planning and establishing the center will require significant community buy-in. Cobb’s leaders are planning a virtual community meeting in early December to begin discussions.

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 warns of pine straw scammers coming to neighborhoods

October 20, 2020 9:47 AMOctober 20, 2020 7:44 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb pine straw scammers

We got a message about this recently, and now Cobb County government is getting out the word warning about pine straw scammers who are coming to neighborhoods.

A reader told us that earlier this month an incident happened to a neighbor in East Cobb, after three men in a pickup truck were driving a utility trailer full of pine straw, promising to lay it down for $5 a bale.

The reader said the workers did the job, but then wanted much more money than the agreed-upon price. After an argument, the resident gave them some of the money they demanded for them to go away, afraid of retaliation.

The reader said there may have been a similar incident in the Providence Walk subdivision but with a different vehicle.

Here’s the message the county is getting out to the public:

Workers approach homeowners and explain they are in the area working and have extra pine straw and offer to sell and spread the pine straw for approximately $4 per bale. Depending on the size of the yard the agreement is to spread approximately 10-50 bales of pine straw.

At some point, the workers re-contact the homeowner and say that it will take more pine straw than anticipated to complete the job and the homeowner agrees with the assumption it will only take a few more bales to complete the job. When the workers finish the job they advise the homeowner they installed approximately 4 times the bales the homeowner anticipated.

The workers then try to collect several thousands of dollars for the work they claim they did. In most of the cases, the homeowners start negotiating a rate higher than agreed upon initially but lower than the workers are asking simply to get them to leave.

What to do:

Use extreme caution when dealing with walk-up salespeople.
Ask them for a business card or website so that you can research the business before they start the work.
If possible obtain the business name, employee names, phone numbers, and tag numbers.
Check for a Cobb County Business License and Better Business Bureau review.
If it is a verbal agreement, record the conversation, agree on the specific work that you want to be done, and agree on a specific final price. Before any work starts.
Trying to save a few dollars is not worth it. Use a local reputable company that is established, licensed, and insured.
If you feel that you are being scammed or intimidated to pay a higher amount immediately call 911 to have the issue reported and hopefully resolved.

Rapper arrested in East Cobb being held on fugitive warrant

October 19, 2020 6:39 PMOctober 19, 2020 4:55 PM by Wendy Parker

A Louisiana rapper arrested at a home on Columns Drive in East Cobb after a domestic incident Friday is being held without bond on a fugitive warrant, according to Cobb court records.

Javorius Tykies Scott, 22, of Bogalusa, La., also known as “JayDaYoungan,” was taken into custody late Friday on a misdemeanor charge of battery and family violence for attacking a woman at the residence, located on Columns Drive near Rivercliff Trace.

His arrest warrant states that Scott “did punch, push and grab” an individual, “leaving visible marks and scars” on the accuser’s arms.

The warrant further stated that Scott and his accuser were “living or formerly living in the same household.”

Cobb Sheriff’s Office records show Scott posted a $1,320 bond for that charge, but another warrant was taken out against him on charges stemming from a February arrest in Houston, Texas.

According to the fugitive warrant, Scott was arrested on a domestic abuse charge of hitting a pregnant woman, and possession of a controlled substance. According to news reports there, he was found by police hiding in an attic of a home.

In April, Scott was arrested in Senoia, Ga., on charges of marijuana possession with intent to distribute, narcotics possession and tampering with evidence. That incident included the arrest of a murder suspect and others on weapons and drug charges at an Airbnb home.

A news report in Newnan said a Coweta County’s Sheriff’s Office investigator said Scott was reportedly in the Atlanta area shooting a video and “possibly buying a property in Marietta.” The owner of the Columns Drive home where Scott was arrested is neither him nor his accuser, according to Cobb Tax Assessor’s office records.

A second fugitive warrant taken out against Scott in Cobb was dismissed, but he remained in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center without bond late Monday afternoon, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Records.

The initial fugitive warrant states that officials in Harris County, Texas, intend to extradite Scott.

Scott has recorded several rap singles that have received multi-million impressions on various digital media platforms and he’s also released several mixtape albums.

According to his website, he’s released three music videos since his legal troubles earlier this year. Scott also posts videos and related content on his Instagram page, which has 2.4 million followers.

GBI makes drug-trafficking arrests after NE Cobb home search

October 13, 2020 7:37 PM by Wendy Parker

GBI drug trafficking arrests NE Cobb home — *Photo courtesy GBI*

Five people were arrested last week on charges of trafficking methamphetamine drugs after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s gang task force and the federal Homeland Security Investigations Unit executed search warrants at locations that included a home in Northeast Cobb.

The GBI said in a release Tuesday afternoon that the five individuals were apprehended in Cobb and Cherokee counties.

A residence on Highland Terrace, off Canton Road and near Shallowford Road, was searched last Friday, where agents seized more than 100 kilograms (around 220 pounds) of suspected crystal methamphetamine, a loaded AR-15 rifle and a handgun, according to the GBI.

Other searches in Cherokee included the seizure of around three kilograms of suspected methamphetamine, according to the GBI.

The bureau said Melissa Picardi, 37, of Atlanta, was charged with trafficking methamphetamine and is the only one of the suspects being detained in Cobb County.

According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, Picardi was arrested at the Market Square Shopping Center on Canton Road Friday afternoon and is being held without bond at the Cobb Adult Detention Center.

The four other suspects were taken to the Cherokee County Jail and also were charged with trafficking methamphetamine:

Antonio Jamar Laster, 24, of Nashville, Tenn.;
Bryan Hernandez, 23, of Atlanta;
Miguel Angel Rayon Gonzalez, 20, of Atlanta;
Jesus Cruz-Aguirre, 19, of Atlanta.

The GBI said the probe was part of an investigation begun earlier this year by its gang task force into the criminal street gangs Gangster Disciples and Ghostface Gangsters.

The agency said agents were specifically targeting the gangs’ weapons and drug trafficking relationship with local associates of Mexican cartel traffickers.

“Months of investigation led to a large amount of dangerous drugs and weapons taken off the street,” said Ken Howard, the GBI’s special agent in charge of the investigation. “The GBI Gang Task Force works collaboratively with federal, state, and local law enforcement to identify and eliminate gang activity and make communities safer.”

Cobb Police, Woodstock Police, and the Cobb and Cherokee sheriff’s offices also assisted in the investigation, which the GBI said is continuing and anticipates making more arrests.

Cobb public safety agencies welcome additions to K-9 corps

September 24, 2020 7:17 AM by Wendy Parker

New Cobb K-9 dogs

From Cobb government about Tuesday’s Cobb Board of Commissioners: meeting that “went to the dogs” with the introduction by commissioner JoAnn Birrell of new K-9 additions for public safety agencies:

“‘Vinny’ is a 2 ½ year old black Labrador Retriever who works with Lee Maness. Maness has been with Cobb for 17 years as both a Police Officer and a Firefighter. He is currently an Investigator II assigned to the Fire Investigations Unit with Vinny, who is trained to detect ignitable liquid accelerants.

“Officer Barlett was accompanied by ‘Brave,’ a brindle colored Dutch Shepherd. Barlett has served with the Cobb County Police Department since November of 2004. K9 Brave was purchased with a donation from the Atlanta Braves. We thank them all for their service to our community.”

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East Cobb man charged with 8 counts of aggravated assault on police

September 23, 2020 7:16 PMSeptember 23, 2020 12:19 PM by Wendy Parker

A man who Cobb Police said barricaded himself at a home in East Cobb for several hours Tuesday after firing gunshots has been charged with eight counts of aggravated assault on police officers.

Cobb Sheriff’s Office records show that Donald Terry Welborn Jr., 57, is being held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.

He is accused of shooting at officers after he fired a weapon in a bedroom where his wife was sleeping, and striking the homes of neighbors with gunfire.

Welborn was booked Tuesday on the aggravated assault charges, which are felonies, and three misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct for the other shootings.

Welborn, whose home address is listed as 2518 Kingsley Drive, off Post Oak Tritt Road and near Johnson Ferry Road, was apprehended there shortly after noon on Tuesday, according to Cobb Police.

According to a criminal warrant taken out against Welborn, he was at that address around 5:30 a.m. and went into a bedroom where Susan Welborn was sleeping, then shot at a ceiling fan.

According to Cobb court records, she is Welborn’s wife, but they had been separated. Susan Welborn filed for divorce in Cobb Superior Court later Tuesday afternoon. The filing states they had been married since 1994, but the marriage was “irretrievably broken” and that they had been living in a “bona fide state of separation.”

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

A statement issued Wednesday afternoon by Sgt. Wayne Delk, a Cobb Police spokesman, said the first officers who arrived at the scene said they heard shots coming from a residence at 2518 Kingsley Drive and that were fired in their direction.

The warrant alleges that eight officers were shot at by Welborn outside the home.

The Cobb Police SWAT team and a crisis negotiation team later arrived and “after an extended negotiation” the suspect, identified as Welborn, was arrested without injuries to him or the officers.

Delk further said that a police bomb squad checked the house and no explosive devices were found.

Police said a 911 dispatcher got a call from Kingsley Drive in the New Castle neighborhood around 5:30 a.m. of gunshots being fired, both inside a home and outside in the neighborhood.

Police blocked off the New Castle and nearby Arthur’s Vineyard neighborhoods while negotiators attempted to get a man to come out of his home.

Delk said Wednesday that the incident remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call the Cobb County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit at 770-499-3945.

Canton man arrested in hit-and-run death of I-75 worker

September 22, 2020 4:52 PM by Wendy Parker

Marietta Police said Tuesday they’ve charged a Canton man with the hit-and-run death of a construction worker on Interstate-75 near Delk Road on Sept. 13.

Police said in release Tuesday that Daniel Broder, 20, was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on felony charges of first-degree vehicular homicide and another felony count of hit-and-run resulting in serious injury or death.

According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, Broder is being held without bond.

Police said Martin Rivera, 30, of Chicago, was hit twice by vehicles as he was placing signage on the I-75 shoulder just north of Delk Road near 9 p.m. on Sept. 13.

Police said the first vehicle, a black Volkswagen Golf GTI, hit Rivera and drove away from the scene. The force of the first collision threw Rivera into the path of another vehicle, which police said stopped and the driver cooperated with the investigation.

Police said at the time that the Volkswagen may have “abruptly” exited I-75 at the South Marietta Parkway.

Police said they got an anonymous tip on Monday and worked leads to identify the suspect and his vehicle, and made the arrest at Broder’s home.

New Cobb fire chief appointed; is 26-year department veteran

August 12, 2020 1:26 PM by Wendy Parker

When former Cobb Fire Chief was appointed interim Cobb Public Safety Director last August, one of his deputies, William Johnson, was named interim fire chief. Cobb Fire Chief William Johnson

On Tuesday the Cobb Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to formally appoint Johnson to the position, which oversees fire and emergency services.

Johnson has been in Cobb for more than 26 years, according to his official biography, and started out at the rank of firefighter/paramedic.

He’s worked his way up as an engineer, lieutenant, captain and battalion chief, and in 2016, was appointed deputy chief of preparedness.

Johnson hold a bachelor’s degree from Columbia Southern University in fire science. He is a University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government EXCEL graduate.

Johnson also is part of the 2019 class of Leadership Cobb.

He’s lived in Cobb County all his live, graduating from McEachern High School, and still lives in West Cobb with his wife and two children.

Johnson is a founding committee member of the United Leadership Program and a lifetime Silver Member of the NAACP.

Suspects sought in Andretti Indoor Karting shooting Sunday

July 27, 2020 2:50 PMJuly 27, 2020 11:49 AM by Wendy Parker

Andretti Indoor Karting shooting

Marietta Police are searching for a vehicle in connection with a shooting incident Sunday night at Andretti Indoor Karting on Roswell Road.

Marietta Police published surveillance camera photos of a car they say drove away from the venue at 1255 Roswell Road after 7 p.m. Sunday.

According to a police statement, a group of individuals got out of a black 2018 Honda Accord around 7:10 p.m. at the Andretti parking lot.

One of the suspects pointed a gun at a man who was walking to his car and demanded jewelry and money, police said.

The victim refused, according to police, who said the suspect fired at least two rounds, but did not hit anyone.

Marietta police said one of its officers arrived at the scene a minute later in a marked police vehicle to begin a part-time shift as a security officer.

At that point, police said, the suspects fled in the Honda. Police said nobody inside was injured.

Police said they don’t have any descriptions of the victims for now, but the car they’re looking for is damaged on the front passenger side and the front right tire appears to be a spare.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Marietta Police Department, or Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 404-577-8477.

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!

Suspect killed, officer shot in Powers Ferry Road carjacking

June 26, 2020 10:09 AM by Wendy Parker

Powers Ferry Road carjacking

A Cobb police officer is recovering after being shot in the head in a carjacking incident on Powers Ferry Road Thursday night in which the suspect also was killed, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The GBI said Friday morning that the incident began around 7:30 p.m. Thursday when Cobb Police were asked by Atlanta Police to check the parking lot of the Publix at 2900 Delk Road, at Powers Ferry Road, for a stolen vehicle.

When Cobb Police arrived, they were told by a citizen that his car had just been carjacked, got a description and found the vehicle nearby, according to the GBI.

When officers tried to stop the vehicle, the vehicle fled and police pursued, the GBI said.

Police learned that the suspect inside the vehicle had a rifle and as the pursuit reached Powers Ferry Road and Riverbend Club Drive, the suspect jumped out of the vehicle and shot several times at police, hitting a police car, the GBI said.

The GBI said the suspect then fled on foot along the Chattahoochee River with the rifle and was found near a dumpster in the Cumberland Chase townhome complex. The GBI said the suspect was given multiple commands by police and did not respond, and the man then fired his rifle at officers, hitting one of them in the head.

The GBI said police returned fire and shot the suspect, who died at the scene.

The suspect was identified as Martin Humberto Sanchez Fregoso, 37, of Smyrna. The GBI said the officer who was shot was treated and released from a hospital.

The GBI is continuing to investigate, as it does in officer-involved shootings.

East Cobb teen charged with vehicular homicide in Feb. crash

June 25, 2020 12:57 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb teen charged vehicular homicide

Cobb Police have charged a 19-year-old from East Cobb with vehicular homicide in a fatal car crash on Johnson Ferry Road in February that took the life of a 61-year-old man.

Cobb Sheriff’s Office records indicate that Colin William Outz, of an address in the Princeton Lakes subdivision, was booked in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday afternoon and was released a few hours later on a $22,000 bond.

He’s facing one felony count of vehicular homicide and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving, according to jail records.

Outz was identified by Cobb Police as the driver of a Mercedes C300 that struck another Mercedes, at Johnson Ferry Road and Powers Drive around 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 22.

The other Mercedes, driven by Robert Higginbotham of East Cobb, was attempting to turn left onto Powers Drive when it was hit by Outz’ car, which police said was heading southbound on Johnson Ferry in excess of 90 mph.

The posted speed limit in that part of Johnson Ferry Road is 40 mph.

Police said Higginbotham, who lived near the crash scene on Green Point Way, was ejected from his car and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Outz was treated at WellStar Kennestone Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

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Cobb DA distributes ‘Kid Kits’ during Crime Victims’ Rights Week

June 8, 2020 1:58 PM by Wendy Parker

Kid Kits Crime Victims Week — Director Kimberly McCoy (front) and Victim Advocate Adriene Grey assembling the kid kits.

Submitted information and photos:

Cobb District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes announces that her office is distributing 250 “kid kits” in a further effort to raise awareness of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The event is usually marked each April but has been extended this year due to health concerns.

Earlier this year, the Cobb DA’s Office received $5,000 in funding from the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators (NAVAA) through a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), within the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, to promote community awareness of crime victims’ rights and services during the 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

Some of those funds were used to purchase items for the kid kits, which include a pencil pouch, coloring book, crayons, and hand sanitizer. The kits include contact information for the Victim Witness Unit of the Cobb DA’s Office.

The kid kits are being distributed through Cobb and Marietta City School districts, and at Cobb Fire Stations.

First designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week increases general public awareness of and knowledge about the wide range of rights and services available to people who have been victimized by crime. The 2020 theme is “Seek Justice, Ensure Victims’ Rights, and Inspire Hope.”

Since 2004, the NCVRW Community Awareness Project has provided financial and technical assistance to more than 977 community projects that promote victim and public awareness activities, and innovative approaches to victim outreach and public education about victims’ rights and services during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Cobb’s was one of the 109 recommended by NAVAA and selected for funding by OVC for 2020 from the 262 applications that were submitted nationwide.

For additional information about 2020 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week activities or about victims’ rights and services in Cobb County, please contact the Victim Witness Unit in the DA’s Office at 770-528-3047 or visit our website at www.cobbda.com.

Kid Kits Crime Victims Week

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