East Cobb Public Safety Archives

Cobb Public Safety Week observations include Chamber honors

October 2, 2020 10:39 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

As part of the 20th annual Public Safety Appreciation Week (Oct. 5-11), the Cobb Chamber will honor Cobb County’s finest during a special recognition program at the Public Safety Appreciation luncheon event held at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre on October 5. The luncheon will kick off a weeklong effort to celebrate public safety personnel in Cobb County.

Preparations for the event began months in advance, with a nomination process for the Public Safety Employee of the Year Award, in addition to other awards, such as the Medal of Valor, Award of Merit, Distinguished Achievement Award and Outstanding Community Contribution Award. Residents, government officials, public safety agencies and business officials are given the opportunity to nominate public safety personnel for these honors. The 2020 Public Safety Appreciation Committee Chairman is Chief Bill Westenberger, with Kennesaw Police Department.

The Cobb Chamber would like to congratulate the following personnel and public safety units on their nomination for a public safety recognition award:

Individuals

Paramedic Malcolm Defleice, MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service

Lieutenant Michael Goins, Marietta Police Department

Shift Supervisor Christopher Hayes, Cobb County 911

Paramedic Michael Jordan, MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service

Engineer Ryan Knechtel, Smyrna Fire Department

Detective Brian Moon, Kennesaw Police Department

Firefighter Ron Presley, Marietta Fire Department

Deputy Sheriff Tyrone Reid, Cobb County Sheriff’s Office

Police Officer Matthew Smith, Kennesaw Police Department

Field Intelligence Officer Greg Stacy, Kennesaw State University Police Department

Training Manager Krista Tillman, Puckett EMS

Detective Evan Wallace, Acworth Police Department

Battalion Chief Stephen Westbrook, Smyrna Fire Department

Public Safety Units

Cobb Fire EMS Division, Cobb County Fire Department

Officers Quinius Lyles & Andrew Abernathy, Cobb County Police Department

CCPD Community Affairs Unit, Cobb County Police Department

KSU Office of Victim Services, Kennesaw State University DPS & University

Police Department

MPD Crime Interdiction Unit, Marietta Police Department

Officers Taylor Elliott, Robert Pfeiffer & Jake Prough, Smyrna Police Department

Award winners will be announced and celebrated at the October 5 Public Safety Appreciation luncheon. Sponsors include, Platinum Sponsors, Cobb EMC and Wellstar Health System; Award Sponsor, LoRusso Law Firm; Gold Sponsor, Genuine Parts Company; Silver Sponsors, C.W. Matthews Contracting, GLOCK, Governors Gun Club, Marietta Family Catering, Marietta Wrecker, MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service, Puckett EMS, Six Flags Over Georgia and Vinings Bank; and Patriot Sponsors, All Roof Solutions, E. Smith Heating & Air, Firehouse Subs, Gregory Doyle Calhoun & Rogers, LLC, Georgia Power, LGE Community Credit Union, Northside Hospital, T&T Uniforms, and Walton Communities Apartment Homes.

For more information on Public Safety Appreciation Week, visit cobbchamber.org/publicsafety, or contact Katie Guice at kguice@cobbchamber.org.

‘Voices for America’ rally in Cobb to support local police

September 29, 2020 9:56 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information about an event taking place Saturday morning:

America is at a crossroads. As citizens we have been shamed into silence. We will be SILENT NO MORE! We will DEMAND that our Law Enforcement is funded. We will take a stand against racism! We will rise up in support of Law Enforcement and America? This rally gives you the opportunity to support our brave law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line every single day for our safety.

“Voices for America – Silent No More” is about everyday citizens speaking out in support of Law Enforcement. They are The Thin Blue Line that keeps society from descending into violent chaos. Under current policy, police often are prohibited from defending themselves and protecting our communities. We must stand against tyranny and hold our politicians accountable. We invited all elected officials and candidates from both sides to sign a pledge in support of law enforcement. Those who signed the pledge are invited to join us. (Click link to View / Sign the pledge) https://heritageaction.com/policepledge

We hope you will join like-minded American Patriots who are willing to stand up, showing our Police Officers that CITIZENS BACK THE BLUE and honor the THIN BLUE LINE!

For caravan and more event info click on this link.
https://www.dropbox.com/…/VFA-SNM%20Rally%20FLYER.pdf…

Send Us Your News!

Let East Cobb News know what your organization is doing, or share news about what people are doing in the community—accomplishments, recognitions, milestones, etc., as well as public events.

Pass along your details to: editor@eastcobbnews.com, and please observe the following guidelines to ensure we get everything properly and can post it promptly.

Send the body of your announcement, calendar item or news release IN TEXT FORM ONLY in the text field of your e-mail template. Reformatting text from PDF, JPG and doc files takes us longer to prepare your message for publication.

We accept PDFs as an accompaniment to your item. Images are fine too, but we prefer those to be JPG files (more than jpeg and png). PLEASE DO NOT send photos inside a PDF or text or any other kind of file. Of course, send us links that are relevant to your message so we can direct people to your website.

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 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.”

Send Us Your News!

Let East Cobb News know what your organization is doing, or share news about what people are doing in the community—accomplishments, recognitions, milestones, etc.

Pass along your details to: editor@eastcobbnews.com, and please observe the following guidelines to ensure we get everything properly and can post it promptly.

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.

Update: Man barricaded in East Cobb home taken into custody

September 23, 2020 12:36 PMSeptember 22, 2020 11:07 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Police SWAT East Cobb home

UPDATED, WEDNESDAY, 12:30 P.M.

Police have charged Donald T. Welborn Jr., of 2518 Kingsley Drive in East Cobb, with eight counts of aggravated assault on police officers. He is being held without bond.

UPDATED, TUESDAY, 12:40 P.M.

Cobb Police said they have taken the barricaded man into custody and that the standoff ended peacefully with no injuries.

They said the neighborhood will be reopening soon.

ORIGINAL STORY, POSTED 11:07 A.M.:

Residents of two East Cobb neighborhoods were ordered to shelter-in-place Tuesday morning while Cobb Police SWAT officers responded to a call of a barricaded man in his home.

Police said around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday that shots were “actively being fired” at a home on Kingsley Drive in the Newscastle subdivision, near Post Oak Tritt Road.

Police also ordered residents of Kingsley Drive between Castle Lane and Vineyard Court to remain in their homes. The entrance to the New Castle and Arthur’s Vineyard neighborhoods also have been blocked off by police.

Police were called to the scene after neighbors reported shots around 5:30 a.m.

Sgt. Wayne Delk, a Cobb Police spokesman, said in a statement around 9:30 a.m. that a man was shooting both inside and outside the home, but no injuries have been reported.

Delk said police believe the man is home alone, but he didn’t have any information about what type of weapons were used in the shootings.

“Obviously we’re taking this very seriously in shutting down the neighborhood for the safety of everyone,” Delk said in a press briefing.

He said Cobb Police SWAT team members and negotiators have been in contact with the man, but he wouldn’t elaborate.

3 seriously injured in single-car crash at I-575 and I-75

September 16, 2020 4:21 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Police said Wednesday that a driver fell asleep behind the wheel this morning on Interstate 575 at Interstate 75, resulting in a crash that sent the driver and two passengers to the hospital.

Cobb Police said Prasanth Kotharu, 27, Jayakumar Palanisamy, 31, of Dunwoody, and Samuel Anbumani, 33, of Dunwoody, were taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with serious injuries.

According to a statement sent out by police, Kotharu was driving a black 2020 Hyundai Elantra southbound on I-575 near the merger with I-75 around 7:30 Wednesday morning when the driver fell asleep.

Police said the car veered off the road and onto a grass shoulder, then dropped down an embankment, crashed into a concrete drainage channel and rolled to one side before coming to a stop.

Police said they’re continuing to investigate and that anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 770-499-3987.

Cobb DA requests independent probe of jail inmate deaths

September 16, 2020 1:20 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes

Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes said Wednesday she will request an independent investigation into the recent deaths of Cobb jail inmates.

Holmes’ office issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying she intends to ask the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia to conduct the probe, following a federal lawsuit filed last week by the family of Kevil Wingo.

He was being held at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on a drug possession charge in September 2019, and died in custody after begging for medical help from jail staff.

Wingo’s family, through attorney Timothy Gardner, had asked for an independent investigation, and here’s what Holmes said in response:

“The files that Mr. Gardner obtained through open records requests to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office were submitted to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office, media, and other organizations. Those materials should be a part of an independent investigation into Mr. Wingo’s death and other inmate deaths at the jail. As I have previously stated, I am committed to ensuring that matters of public safety and the concerns of our citizens be addressed by our office or referred to the appropriate agency without favor or fear.”

Wingo, who was 36 at the time of his death, had complained of an ulcer and said he was having trouble breathing. According to the lawsuit, he was taken to an isolation room at the jail, and died an hour later after being taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.

In February, the Cobb Medical Examiner’s Office issued a report saying Wingo died of natural causes, with complications due to a perforated gastric ulcer.

Wingo is one of eight inmates to have died at Cobb jail since June of last year. According to 11Alive, his death wasn’t made public until the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, which oversees jail operations, completed an internal investigation.

The Wingo family lawsuit was filed against Wellstar Health system, six nurses and three sheriff’s deputies.

Police: Construction worker killed on I-75 near Delk Road

September 13, 2020 12:34 PM by Wendy Parker

Marietta Police are looking for a vehicle they say struck a road construction worker on Interstate 75 near Delk Road Saturday night.

The construction worker, identified as Martin Rivera, 30, of Chicago, was pronounced dead on the scene, according to Marietta Police.

They said Rivera was placing signage on the shoulder of I-75 northbound, just north of Delk Road, around 8:53 p.m. when he was hit by two vehicles.

Police said the first vehicle, which may be a black Volkswagen Golf GTI, fled the scene. The driver of the second vehicle did stop and is cooperating with the investigation, according to police.

Marietta Police are asking for the public’s help finding the first vehicle, which they said “abruptly” exited I-75 north on the South Marietta Parkway exit ramps.

Police said anyone who may have seen the incident or who has information should call STEP Investigator C. Henry at 770-794-5364.

Woman dies in crash near Johnson Ferry-Shallowford intersection

September 8, 2020 5:48 PMSeptember 8, 2020 1:30 PM by Wendy Parker

Johnson Ferry-Shallowford intersection closed

Cobb Police said a woman died Tuesday morning when her car collided with a dump truck near the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford intersection.

Police said Janet Muse, 62 of Roswell, was pronounced dead at the scene.

She was driving a 2010 Lincoln around 10:40 a.m. and was attempting to turn left from Chimney Lake Drive on to Shallowford Road eastbound when her car was hit by a dump truck heading west on Shallowford, according to police.

Police said the truck, driven by Keith Rosado, 50, of Cartersville, had a green light, and struck the driver’s side of the Lincoln in the intersection.

Police said Rosado was unhurt. The crash investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

The Johnson Ferry-Shallowford intersection and surrounding areas were closed for a time after the accident but traffic reopened by mid-afternoon.

ORIGINAL REPORT, 1:30 P.M.

The busy intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Shallowford Road is closed due to a fatal crash Tuesday.

According to a Cobb government message posted around 1:20 p.m., the accident vehicles have been cleared, but Cobb police and fire units are conducting an investigation into the crash. The closure is expected to last for several hours.

No other information about the incident is immediately available. Officer Shenise McDonald, a Cobb Police public information officer, said more details will be coming.

Scholarship to honor Kell HS student killed in bicycle crash

September 2, 2020 11:21 AMSeptember 2, 2020 10:40 AM by Wendy Parker

Robby Schulz

The brother of a Kell High School student who was killed last week in a bicycle crash has begun a college scholarship fund for an autistic student, and to fund autism research.

Robbie Schulz, 15, was a sophomore at Kell when he died last Wednesday after he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle on North Marietta Parkway near Interstate 75.

The boy, who also attended pre-kindergarten at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, Timber Ridge Elementary School and Hightower Trail Middle School in East Cobb, was autistic.

Nicholas Schulz, in forming what he calls “Team Robby,” said his brother “was the smartest person I’ve ever known” and “was incredibly outgoing, sweet, and kind-hearted.” The fundraising campaign has raised nearly $25,000.

In his obituary, Robby Schulz was praised by his teachers. “He taught me compassion and that it was okay to be different,” said Andrea Cilluffo, his science and social studies teacher at Hightower Trail. “He taught me to teach from the heart because words were just words and sometimes words just didn’t explain what the heart could. Robby made me a better teacher and a better human.”

At Kell, he was a member of a Dungeon & Dragons club. “Robby was a kind soul and I will fondly remember his eruptions of delight when he cast just the right spell to save the day,” said Douglas LaVigne, the club’s faculty leader.

Robby belonged to Cub Scout Pack 795 at Mt. Zion UMC and Boy Scout Troop 713 at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church.

In addition to Nicholas Schulz, Robby’s survivors include his parents, Jim and Alex Schulz, brother Derek Schulz and twin sister Lizzy Schulz.

A visitation is scheduled for family and friends Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. at Mayes-Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home in Marietta, and a memorial service will be held there Thursday at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made to Team Robby, Hillside or to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Marietta Police said the accident took place around 4:20 p.m. Wednesday when a 2010 Nissan Maxima driven by Desmond Sipplin, 25, of Marietta, and heading eastbound on North Marietta Parkway, struck the bicycle near the intersection of the I-75 northbound ramp.

Police are continuing to investigate the crash, and anyone with information is asked to call 770-794-5384.

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!

Conservative activist’s East Cobb property vandalized with swastika, MAGA graffiti

September 1, 2020 4:02 PM by Wendy Parker

On Monday, East Cobb religious and community leaders denounced anti-Semitic graffiti incidents in the community, which Cobb Police say are centered in an area around Post Oak Tritt Road and Holly Springs Road.

That’s also where Carolyn Meadows, a longtime conservative and Republican Party activist and the current president of the National Rifle Association, lives.

She’s supporting Republican Karen Handel in her bid to win back her 6th Congressional District seat. Brian Robinson, who’s working on Handel’s campaign, passed along these photos from Meadows’ property, including a sign in her yard.

At a Monday event at the Temple Kol Emeth synagogue in East Cobb, Commissioner Bob Ott said that what’s transpired is “not who we are.”

Robinson also sent the following statement from Handel:

“I join with Commissioner Ott and the entire East Cobb community in taking a zero-tolerance approach to this hate. Sadly, my campaign has been a victim of these bigoted vandals as well. These criminals recently defaced campaign signs with disgusting anti-Semitic symbols. Our community will not tolerate this kind of hate.”

The fence and signs on Meadows’ property are spray-painted with swastikas and “MAGA,” the “Make America Great Again” slogan of President Donald Trump and his supporters.

Robinson said the graffiti was spotted on Aug. 17. It’s similar to what was seen along fences and common areas of the Kings Farm neighborhood, just around the corner from the Meadows home, during the weekend of Aug. 22-23.

Cobb Police said similar graffiti was seen on road signs in the same area, and was quickly removed by Cobb DOT crews.

East Cobb swastika — *Spray-paint graffiti in the Kings Farm neighborhood. Source: Atlanta Anti-Defamation League*

Police also said they think the half-dozen incidents they’re investigating began on Aug. 16, but they’re not sure when all the others took place, nor do they have any leads.

Cobb Police Chief Tim Cox said at the same event on Monday that anyone who has any information about these incidents should contact Detective Abbott of the Precinct 4 Criminal Investigations Unit at 770-499-4184.

Also speaking at the Kol Emeth event was U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, a Democrat who defeated Handel in 2018. She told an interfaith audience at the synagogue:

“I am so grateful to leaders throughout our community who are standing tall in the face of violence and hatred. Together, we will continue to build a stronger, more inclusive community, and send a strong message to those who spread hate: there is no room for prejudice in our neighborhoods.”

Appointment system for Cobb weapons carry permit requests to continue

September 1, 2020 2:04 PMSeptember 1, 2020 10:56 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

Cobb residents seeking weapons carry licenses will need to make appointments with the Probate Court at least through the end of September. Chief Judge Kelli Wolk said the decision came after consulting with public health officials who said continuing the appointments process would help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

“The demand for these licenses is at an all-time high,” Judge Wolk said. “People tend to line up by the dozens to get into the office, and the space to do that is relatively small. The proximity of people in the courthouse put them, my staff and others who do business here in danger of spreading COVID-19.”

Even with the appointment process, Judge Wolk says her office is processing weapons carry licenses at a record rate, completing more than 100 applications a day. Those who simply need to renew their licenses can do so by mail.

Judge Wolk said using appointments also helps staff track visitors to their office in case an outbreak is reported. She will decide later this month whether they will continue taking appointments into October.

To apply for an appointment and to get the latest information on the status of the Probate Court’s office, please visit cobbcounty.org/courts/probate-court/weapons-carry-permits

Anti-Semitic incidents in East Cobb ‘are not who we are’

September 5, 2020 4:01 PMAugust 31, 2020 1:56 PM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb anti-Semitic incidents — *Rabbi Larry Sernovitz of Temple Kol Emeth said “the strength of the community is how we respond” to recent incidents of anti-Semitic graffiti in East Cobb. (ECN photos and video)*

A rash of anti-Semitic incidents in East Cobb in recent weeks has jarred an area with a sizable Jewish community.

In response, representatives of that Jewish community, along with other East Cobb faith leaders and local public officials, said Monday their message will be that such actions won’t be tolerated.

With the Southern Division of the Anti-Defamation League they announced the launching of an education campaign that will include bias training and a chance for the larger public to become allies with those unlike themselves.

The first of those sessions will take place virtually on Sept. 9 starting at 7:30 p.m. It’s free to attend but you must register and can do so by clicking here.

Most of all, their response is that love and understanding are the only ways to overcome hatred.

“I want to say ‘I love you,’ ” said Rabbi Larry Sernovitz of Temple Kol Emeth, one of three synagogues in East Cobb, and where Monday’s gathering was held.

“I don’t need to know you to love you.”

He said those who scrawled graffiti in East Cobb—there are at least a half-dozen known incidents since the middle of August—were educated that such expressions can be tolerated.

What’s needed again and again, Sernovitz said, is “a million acts of kindness,” and he referenced the Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, who “believed that redemption can save the world.”

The gathering was prompted by swastika and other graffiti discovered in a neighborhood near Post Oak Tritt Road and Holly Springs Road. Residents there cleaned the spray-paint quickly.

On Sunday, Sernovitz told his congregation that at least five more similar incidents are being investigated.

Cobb Police Chief Tim Cox, who attended Monday’s event at Kol Emeth, said the first incident took place on Aug. 16, and investigators are not sure if the other incidents happened at once or on separate dates.

Lt. Bruce Danz, an investigator with Cobb Police Precinct 4, said all the incidents were in East Cobb. They included anti-Semitic graffiti being spray-painted on road signs on Post Oak Tritt Road that was removed by Cobb DOT.

He said in two-and-a-half years in Precinct 4, this is the first time he’s known of such incidents.

Danz said that “right now, we don’t have any leads,” but that police are “actively investigating.”

Cox said that anyone in the public who may have information about these or similar incidents should contact Lt. Abbott of the Precinct 4 Criminal Investigations Unit at 770-499-4184.

Several clergy members of the East Cobb faith communities were invited to speak, including Congregation Etz Chaim, Emerson Universalist Unitarian Congregation, Unity North Church East Cobb Church, the Church of Latter-Day Saints and the East Cobb Islamic Center.

Also speaking were U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes and Commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb.

Ott said Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris will be presenting a measure in September to reconstitute the county’s dormant Human Relations Commission.

Those plans had been in the works before the anti-Semitic attacks, but Ott said the timing of these events makes it more imperative to build bridges of understanding in the community.

“This is not who we are,” Ott said. “This is not what we are about.”

The human relations panel was created in the early 1990s, after county commissioners approved a controversial anti-gay resolution.

Among those leading the outcry against the resolution was Steven Lebow, the longtime Kol Emeth rabbi who retired this summer.

Sernovitz started in July as Lebow’s successor, and calls one of his first public actions in his new role “a teachable moment.”

“This can happen anywhere,” he said. “The strength of our community is how we respond.”

East Cobb synagogue informed of more anti-Semitic incidents

August 30, 2020 5:16 PM by Wendy Parker

The leaders of the Temple Kol Emeth synagogue told their congregation Sunday that following the discovery of swastika graffiti in an East Cobb neighborhood last weekend, they’ve learned of other similar incidents.

Rabbi Larry Sernovitz and Rachel Barich, president of the congregation, said that “through our connections with local law enforcement, we are now aware of at least five similar incidents that have occurred over the past few weeks. This is a serious concern to us and to the Cobb County Police.”

They didn’t elaborate on the specifics of the incidents or when and where they took place, but said that “we know that the actions of a few do not represent East Cobb.”

Their message comes a day before Kol Emeth will be holding a gathering to announce a community response to acts of anti-Semitism.

That meeting will include representatives of the Anti-Defamation League of Atlanta, Atlanta Israeli Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon, Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott and Capt. James Fincher, commander of the Cobb Police Precinct 4 in East Cobb.

The initiative is to include bias training and other educational programs:

“Through a partnership with the ADL, we will present to the wider East Cobb community a comprehensive program of education which will include bias training and how to be ally. Our fellow Jewish congregations and the interfaith community support this initiative with a high amount of interest. This is the spirit of Cobb County!”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Monday’s gathering, which begins at 10 a.m., is not open to the general public. Sernovitz and Barich said an educational program to follow will be available to all via Zoom in the coming weeks.

“We also know that we cannot be silent, as silence does not make these things go away. Rather we are drawing on our friendships and ties with so many others in our community to provide a teachable moment, an opportunity for everyone to come together, speak together, and learn together.”

Cobb fire and emergency crews rescue kitten from sewer drain

August 20, 2020 10:37 AM by Wendy Parker

Barbara Desmond, a resident of the Horizon condominium community off Powers Ferry Road, was taking a walk last Thursday morning when she heard what she said was an “awful distressed sound” of a crying kitten “way down in a sewer drain!”

While others discovered the kitten and called for help, she said she stayed on the scene near the entrance to the Hudson Ridge apartments on Windy Ridge Parkway and Parkwood Circle.

Cobb Fire and Emergency Services crews from Stations 3 and 4, as well as Cobb Animal Services, arrived to conduct a rescue operation that turned out more than successful.

The small black kitten not only was extracted safely, one of its rescuers adopted “Figaro,” who was obviously terrified but got plenty of comfort from the crews and later from her.

Barbara provided the photos and shot and narrated the videos.

She reports that the crews had to gain access to both points of the drain, around 60 feet apart, and that crew members fitted with oxygen suits and tanks came in either direction, and said “OMG it was so intense.”

She said “Many ANGELS on the scene helped with this very dangerous rescue!”

Here’s more from Barbara: “When I said thank you to the firefighters so much for all that you did to save the kitty, they all looked at me and the Chief said ‘It is our job to rescue all life.’ ”

She later gave Figaro some love before the kitten was adopted, and said she is “so proud to live in Cobb and this amazing team of First Responders! I am forever touched by this kitty rescue and wanted to share!”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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!

Injured hiker rescued from Gold Branch trails with GPS help

August 15, 2020 1:59 PMAugust 14, 2020 1:52 PM by Wendy Parker

Injured hiker rescued Gold Branch Unit — *An EMS boat along the Chattahoochee River awaits an injured hiker who was escorted from the Gold Branch Unit trails Friday morning. Source: Cobb Fire & Emergency*

Even if you’re trying to get away from the modern world with a hike deep into a nature trail, it helps to have modern technology.

That’s how Cobb Fire and Emergency Services crews were able to locate, rescue and treat a hiker who fell and injured an ankle Friday morning at the Gold Branch Unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

The multi-agency response included Cobb Fire Station 21 in East Cobb, Cobb County Police Boat 4 and a Roswell Fire and EMS rescue boat.

Nick Danz, a paramedic with Cobb Fire, said the hiker was helped off the trails by rescue workers and escorted to a Metro Ambulance EMS boat along the Chattahoochee River and was triaged there with what he said were minor injuries.

He said the hiker called 911 from a cell phone, but was too far for rescue vehicles to reach, and could not walk back for treatment.

So Cobb Fire used what’s called “Rapid SOS” technology to get GPS (global positioning system) information from the cell phone.

That area of the Gold Branch Unit doesn’t have electronic markers, Danz said, as is the case with Cobb County parks, which have what’s called ELM (Electronic Locator Map) detectors.

Danz said when the hiker’s cell phone coordinates were determined, that information was relayed to a Cobb Fire battalion Chief, who dispatched crews from Station 21 and contacted the other agencies.

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.

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.

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Send Us Your News!

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Send Us Your News!

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related content

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related stories

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related content

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related content

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related content

Share this post:

Like this:

Share this post:

Like this: