East Cobb Public Safety Archives

Former Kell teacher sentenced for sexual assault of student

January 24, 2019 2:43 PM by Wendy Parker

A former Kell High School teacher who pleaded guilty last week to sexually assaulting a student on campus will serve five years in prison. Spencer Herron

That’s the sentence that was handed down to Spencer Herron by Cobb Superior Court Judge Robert Flournoy, who also gave the former video production instructor 15 years on probation.

Court records show that Herron, 49, who was arrested on June 1, 2018, pleaded guilty last Friday to five counts of sexual assault on a student on the Kell campus.

They involved multiple sexual encounters with a female student that started in 2016, and continued through the 2017-18 school year, according to his indictment in August.

According to his sentencing document, Herron was given sex offender status by Flournoy. As a first-time offender, Herron could have his criminal record cleared if he meets the terms of his probation.

After his release from prison, he is not allowed to have any contact with minors, take up a residence with minors or contact with the victim. He also must abide by other restrictions while on probation.

Herron was a teacher at Kell for 16 years and was the school’s teacher of the year in 2016. In what turned out to be his final year as a teacher, Herron was a member of the Cobb County School District’s Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council.

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East Cobb man convicted on drug charges gets long prison sentence

January 23, 2019 12:43 PMJanuary 23, 2019 9:41 AM by Wendy Parker

An East Cobb man initially suspected of human trafficking in a 2016 search of a home on Little Willeo Road has been sentenced on multiple drug convictions, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office. East Cobb man convicted

Solomon Santana Noellin, 42, was convicted on Thursday by a Cobb Superior Court jury of possession of methamphetamines with intent to distribute, possession of methadone with intent to distribute, and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, as well as possession of cocaine and Alprazolam, according to DA spokeswoman Kim Isaza.

She said Noellin was given a 30-year sentence by Superior Court Judge Joyette Holmes, with eight years to serve and the rest on probation.

According to Cobb prosecutors, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a rented home on Little Willeo Road in East Cobb on Aug. 9, 2016, based on allegations that sex trafficking activities were taking place there.

When they entered the home, police found cocaine, methamphetamines and other controlled substances and executed a second search warrant, Isaza said.

She said that agents from the Marietta-Cobb-Smyrna Organized Crime Unit confiscated 61 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamines; three grams of cocaine; 49 methadone pills; more than 350 grams of marijuana; and one bar of Alprazolam at the Little Willeo Road home.

Isaza said two women who were at the scene during the first search warrant denied they were there for trafficking purposes.

According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, Noellin’s home address is listed as being on Canton Road.

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Cobb schools establish SafeSchools alert tip line

January 18, 2019 2:38 PMJanuary 18, 2019 1:37 PM by Wendy Parker

Last fall we reported on a school safety town hall meeting at Lassiter High School at which Cobb County School District officials announced the rollout of a new safety portal called Cobb Shield.

Earlier this week, they announced another school safety measure. It’s the SafeSchools Alert tip line, and it will launch on Tuesday, when classes resume following the Martin Luther King holiday.

Students, teachers, staff and parents can contact the school district online, via text or phone and e-mail about any matter that they think might affect safety.

This information can include, but is not limited to, bullying, harassment, drugs, vandalism and threats of violence, and reports can be made anonymously. However you get in touch, you’re asked to provide the “1760” code number, which has been designated for Cobb schools.

Here’s more from what CCSD issued earlier this week about the program:

Every tip submitted through the SafeSchools Alert will be immediately logged and routed to the appropriate administrator to investigate and take appropriate action.

The SafeSchools Alert tip line does not replace 911. For emergencies, please dial 911.

“We are seeking information that can allow the school to better address the school climate issues that cause students anxiety or fear and are not being addressed because people are afraid to share the information,” Cobb County School District Police Officer Phil Bradford said.

“We are trying to become more aware of what is going on. We are asking for information from all quarters of the school so we can become preventive, and we can be more proactive.”

Cobb schools said the SafeSchools tip line builds on the AlertPoint system that’s used when there’s a safety concern within school facilities.

The district has more on its open line for student safety on its “The Inside Scoop” podcast.

Cobb schools safety pledge to parents: ‘This is the most important thing we do’

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Georgia teacher pay raise of $3K proposed by new Gov. Brian Kemp

January 17, 2019 2:59 PMJanuary 17, 2019 1:46 PM by Wendy Parker

In his first State of the State address, Gov. Brian Kemp said Thursday he wants to give Georgia teachers a pay raise of $3,000 a year, launch a number of school safety measures and create a statewide task force to crack down on criminal gangs. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia teacher pay raise

Speaking in the Georgia Capitol after being sworn in earlier this week, Kemp said the teacher pay increase will cost $480 million annually, but represents “a large down payment” on his campaign pledge of funding a $5,000 year raise.

In his remarks, he noted that 44 percent of teachers in the state leave the profession in their first five years.

Kemp’s proposed fiscal year 2020 budget of $27.5 billion would also include a two percent pay raise for all state employees that would cost $120 million.

School safety measures also highlight Kemp’s first budget, following a special legislative study committee that toured the state last year.

The former Georgia Secretary of State, Kemp, a Republican, defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams in a close election in November. While Abrams, the former state House Minority Leader, won Cobb County, Kemp prevailed in most East Cobb precincts.

Kemp is proposing $69 million in one-time funds for school security grants, with all Georgia K-12 schools receiving $30,000 each. Those priorities would determined by their local school boards, administrators, teachers, parents, and students.

Kemp also wants to provide $8.4 million in additional funding for the Apex program, which addresses mental health in Georgia high schools. Georgia has been at the bottom nationally in providing funding to help students with mental health care needs.

He would spend $500,000 to form a gang task force within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that would work with local prosecutors and law enforcement agencies.

The proposal would be to use the Criminal Gang and Criminal Alien Database, to be funded with existing resources from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, to track and arrest criminal gang leaders, including drug kingpins.

Kemp also said he will pursue a state Medicaid waiver and is earmarking $1 million in the Department of Community Health’s budget to pursue possible options to the current program “that increases choices, improves quality, encourages innovation and grows access to affordable healthcare across the state.”

You can read the entire proposed budget here.

We will be adding reaction from Cobb officials when we get it.

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Women arrested on drug charges near Keheley Elementary School

January 17, 2019 4:24 PMJanuary 16, 2019 4:30 PM by Wendy Parker

Keheley Elementary School, drug arrests

Two women were arrested on Tuesday night on drug-related charges near Keheley Elementary School in Northeast Cobb.

According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, Brenda Craver, 63, and Latricia Patton, 40, were taken into custody at 4263 Keheley Road, located around the corner from the school on Keheley Drive.

Craver, of an Acworth address, is facing three felonies, including possession of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute and possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of an elementary school. Her bond is $27,720, according to jail records.

Patton, of a Keheley Road address, is charged with possession of methamphetamine and several misdemeanor drug counts, and her bond is $6,820.

Both women are charged with a misdemeanor count of prowling, according to jail records, which indicate they are still in custody.

WSB-TV, which first reported the arrests, said neighbors notified the police after noticing an unfamiliar and suspicious truck at a nearby building.

East Cobb News does not publish photographs of crime suspects before their cases have gone through the legal system, and then only if they are convicted or plead guilty and are sentenced.

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Davidson Road closed near Lower Roswell due to damaged electric pole; reported power outages

January 9, 2019 10:35 AMJanuary 8, 2019 2:08 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Police said around 1 p.m. that a portion of Davidson Road near Lower Roswell Road is closed, and could be for a while, after a semi truck knocked out a power pole.

The police alert said Georgia Power crews were on the scene to make repairs to the pole and electrical lines, which are located near the Goodwill store.

That’s on Davidson Road, right behind Parkaire Landing Shopping Center, and a number of businesses there and in the surrounding area are without power for now. Davidson Road closed

Police said the closure could last as long as eight hours, and traffic is being diverted through parking lots.

UPDATED, 3:33 P.M.: Cobb DOT says Davidson Road will be closed through the Tuesday afternoon rush hour. They’ve got the area of the road around the truck blocked off by cones and barricades.

This story will be updated.

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Cobb Civil Air Patrol cadets take to the sky at McCollum Airport

January 6, 2019 1:12 PMJanuary 6, 2019 10:04 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Civil Air Patrol

Thanks to Major Joshua Stultz, the Deputy Commander for Cadets of the Cobb County Composite Squadron Georgia Wing Group 1, for the photo and information about a cadet flight exercise Saturday at McCollum Airport, and the Cobb Civil Air Patrol’s open house there on March 21:

The cadet orientation flight program shares with cadets the thrill of flying. Every CAP cadet under age 18 is eligible for five flights in a powered aircraft (usually a single-engine Cessna), five flights in a glider aircraft. Pictured here is Cadet Airman Garrett Neal at the controls of one of CAP’s Cesena 182 aircraft.

The open house on March 21 goes from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at McCollum Airport (1901 McCollum Pkwy NW, Kennesaw):

Since Civil Air Patrol’s formation during the earliest days of World War II, this vigilant organization of citizen Airmen has been committed to service to America. Founded on Dec. 1, 1941, to mobilize the nation’s civilian aviation resources for national defense service, CAP has evolved into a premier public service organization that still carries out emergency service missions when needed — in the air and on the ground.

As a Total Force partner and Auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, Civil Air Patrol is there to search for and find the lost, provide comfort in times of disaster and work to keep the homeland safe. Its 60,000 members selflessly devote their time, energy and expertise toward the well-being of their communities, while also promoting aviation and related fields through aerospace/STEM education and helping shape future leaders through CAP’s cadet program.

Civil Air Patrol’s missions for America are many, and today’s adults and cadets perform their duties with the same vigilance as its founding members — preserving CAP’s 75-year legacy of service while maintaining its commitment to nearly 1,500 communities nationwide.

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Windy Hill Road motel sued in sex trafficking case by Cobb DA’s office

January 9, 2019 11:58 AMJanuary 4, 2019 4:44 PM by Wendy Parker

The Masters Inn, Windy Hill Road motel sued — *Source: OpenStreetMap*

Cobb District Attorney Vic Reynolds said Friday his office has filed a lawsuit to force a Windy Hill Road motel to address sex trafficking and drug activity on its premises or be subject to forfeiting its property.

A release by the DA’s office said the “public nuisance” measure was being applied to The Masters Inn, 2682 Windy Hill Road, located near the Windy Hill Hospital, the junction of Interstate 75 and SunTrust Park.

UPDATED, Wed., Jan. 9, 11:55 a.m.: The AJC is reporting the motel has closed temporarily for renovations, and that the owner has reached an agreement with the DA’s office to address the crime issues.

ORIGINAL STORY CONTINUES:

Authorities say the motel has been a haven for drug and sex trafficking and was the scene of a deadly shooting in 2015. In late 2017 Cobb Police arrested a man there on felony drug charges and discovered he had been holding a female against her well and using her for sex trafficking, according to the release.

The DA’s office said it was approached earlier last year by a lawyers’ group, Civil Lawyers Against World Sex Slavery, and along with Cobb Police compiled data on hotels in the county with high levels of arrests, especially for drugs, prostitution and trafficking.

Two East Cobb events to address sex trafficking

According to the lawsuit, filed in Cobb Superior Court, The Masters Inn was known to police as “notorious hotbed of criminal activity that has been the subject of countless investigations.”

The release said The Masters Inn ownership must take the following steps:

contact and cooperate with police about suspected criminal activity;
require valid photo identification of all guests;
maintain complete guest rosters and a list of those previously arrested there;
require staff training to recognize and prevent human trafficking;
hire a licensed and armed security guard;
install outdoor lighting, video surveillance and fencing;
ban loitering.

According to the release, the first of several compliance hearings will be held before Cobb Superior Court Judge Kimberly Childs on March 14.

The DA’s office said the suit is believed to be one of the first in Georgia aimed at curbing sex trafficking activity.

The announcement of the lawsuit comes at the end of a week of public events in the state about sex trafficking. Georgia is regarded as one of the busiest states in the nation for sex trafficking, and January is National Sex Trafficking Awareness Month.

Earlier this week, dozens of school buses formed a caravan to reflect the estimated 3,600 children authorities say are used for sex trafficking in Georgia.

Among those taking part were Attorney General Chris Carr and Governor-elect Brian Kemp. The faith-based group Street Grace also has been leading the charge.

The upcoming session of the Georgia General Assembly is expected to include sex trafficking legislation, and efforts are underway to crack down on sex trafficking ahead of the Super Bowl, which takes place in Atlanta in early February.

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Land acquisition for new Cobb Fire Station 12 site on commissioners’ agenda

January 4, 2019 7:33 PMJanuary 4, 2019 12:13 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Fire Station 12

The purchase of three parcels of land on Canton Road for a new Cobb Fire Station 12 is on the Cobb Board of Commissioners agenda next Tuesday.

The current station, located at 810 Brackett Road in the Shaw Park area, is 55 years old. It’s one of four stations in the Northeast Cobb area but the only one serving the Canton Road corridor.

On the agenda is a request to purchase property located at 3852, 3592, and 3686 Canton Road owned by Chastain, LLC, and to be assembled with a parcel at 3587 Centerview Drive, which also is on the agenda.

According to the agenda item, the total purchase price for the three Canton Road properties is $1.1 million. They are located on the east side of Canton Road, between Kensington Drive and Chastain Corners Road.

The purchase price for the Centerview Drive property, currently owned by the Cochran Family Trust, is $263,000.

The cost to construct a new facility is estimated to be $4.1 million.

Also on Tuesday’s meeting agenda is a request from Cobb DOT to condemn four parcels of land for the planned Windy Hill-Terrell Mill Connector. DOT says that while negotiations continue with property owners, condemnation is needed for right of way acquisition if talks fall through.

The four parcels are 1.4 acres at 1557 Terrell Mill Road (Forest Ridge at Terrell Mill Apartments), and 1,206 square feet each at three townhomes located at 1631 Turnberry Lane, 1617 Turnberry Lane and 1613 Turnberry Lane.

The land is located near the northern portion of the road project, close to its intersection with Terrell Mill Road.

It would be the second such condemnation of property in the path of the Connector, an 0.8-mile stretch. Commissioners voted in November to condemn portions of apartment complexes near Windy Hill Road.

Tuesday’s meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the second floor board room at the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta. The full meeting agenda can be found here.

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Crime

Traffic

2 killed in Powers Ferry Road car collision
3 Mountain View ES students, mothers, die in Texas crash
Woman charged with vehicular homicide in Roswell Road crash
Johnathan Wheeler, convicted of a 2014 murder in East Cobb

Courts and trials

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Walton High School fire breaks out at construction site; no injuries or significant damage reported

December 19, 2018 11:21 AMDecember 18, 2018 6:26 PM by Wendy Parker

A fire broke out Tuesday at the construction site at Walton High School, where a new gymnasium and fine arts building are being built.

James Kapish, public information officer for the Cobb Fire Department, said the call came in around 4:48 p.m., stating that there was a fire on the roof of the construction area, and that no students nor staff were on scene at the time.

https://twitter.com/SydneeRae4/status/1075147833408438272

Cobb Fire arrived around 5:55 p.m., according to Kapish, who added that there were no injuries. He said fire crews had the remaining workers safely evacuate.

The superintendent of the construction project said that a section of insulation caught fire, Kapish said, but the reason hasn’t been determined.

Firefighters kept the blaze from spreading and it was contained at 5:22 p.m., he said.

Kapish said the fire was confined to the construction area, and that classes at Walton will operate as normal on Wednesday.

The $31.7 million construction project is taking place on the site of the former Walton classroom building. The new gym and fine arts/theater building, which totals around 151,000 square feet, is scheduled to open for the 2019-20 school year in August.

Cobb schools said preliminary information indicates that the damage from the fire is not significant.

This story will be updated.

Uh ⁦@wsbtv⁩? Why is Walton High School in East Cobb on fire??? My friend just texted me this video! pic.twitter.com/7jsbI8Q6mg

— Wendy (@WWH0428) December 18, 2018

Breaking News: Cobb Police Precinct 4 receives bomb threat; all-clear issued

December 13, 2018 6:06 PMDecember 13, 2018 4:13 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb Police Precinct 4 headquarters on Lower Roswell Road was among the county government entities that received a bomb threat today.

Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said that e-mail threats were sent to Precinct 4 and Precinct 1 in North Cobb, Cobb Police Headquarters, Cobb Superior Court and Cobb 911.

Cavitt said the threats were not deemed to be credible and those buildings were given the all-clear. While Cobb Superior Court was evacuated, Cobb Police Sgt. Wayne Delk said none of the police facilities receiving threats were.

“We did conduct thorough security checks and determined the threat to be unfounded,” he said.

Precinct 4 is located at the East Cobb Government Service Center, which also houses Cobb Fire Station 21 and a tag office.

A number of e-mailed bomb threats were sent elsewhere in metro on Thursday, including schools and businesses, as well as around the country.

Several lockdowns took place at schools in the Dunwoody area, and another bomb threat was made at Columbine High School near Denver. That’s where a 1999 mass shooting killed 13 students and teachers.

The threats at Columbine and other schools in the Denver area were also not deemed to be credible and lockdowns there were lifted.

Some of the e-mail threats demanded payment in Bitcoin, but it’s not clear now if the messages sent to Cobb agencies were that specific.

Also getting threats across the country were universities, media organizations and even the opera house in Boston.

Cavitt said the Cobb threats have been turned over to the FBI for investigation.

We’ll be updating this story as new information becomes available.

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Canadian man who tried to lure Cobb teenage girl into sex gets 16 years

January 7, 2019 1:29 PMDecember 13, 2018 12:56 PM by Wendy Parker

A Canadian man who had flown to Atlanta to have sex with a Cobb teenage girl last year has been sentenced by a federal judge. Cobb teenage girl, Kell High School teacher indicted

Yves Joseph Legault, 54, from Toronto, will serve 16 years in prison for a variety of sexual exploitation charges that include his attempt to meet a 13-year-old Cobb County girl last year. He also will be on supervised release for life and will be deported to Canada upon his release from prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta.

Legault pleaded guilty in September to several charges, including coercing and enticing the production of child sexual exploitation images over the Internet. Federal prosecutors said he preyed on victims in Georgia and Mississippi at the same time.

He was arrested last August at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after getting off a plane for what federal prosecutors was a trip to have sex with the Marietta girl, whom he met via Omegle, an anonymous online text and video chat tool.

During Legault’s trial, prosecutors said Legault and the girl moved their chats to Google Hangouts, where he asked her to perform sex acts for him on a live video stream. Later, he arranged to travel to Georgia to meet her for in-person sex acts.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the girl’s mother alerted the FBI after her daughter received a package from Canada, and after intercepting messages between Legault and the girl.

While Legault was facing charges in Georgia, prosecutors also said he had engaged in similar behavior with an eight-year-old girl in Pascagoula, Miss. He was charged there with one count of coercing and enticing the production of child pornography, and also pleaded guilty to that charge in federal court in Atlanta.

“Predators like Legault are always lurking on line, and a threat to our children. Hopefully his sentencing will serve as a warning to all parents to monitor what their children are doing on the internet and on their cell phones,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said in a statement.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said both the Georgia and Mississippi cases are part of the U.S. Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood initiative to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.

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Deadly crash, chain reaction shuts down I-75 near Loop exits for hours

December 12, 2018 1:46 PMDecember 12, 2018 12:43 PM by Wendy Parker

One person was killed after a collision on I-75 between North and South Marietta Parkway early Wednesday morning that triggered a chain reaction and shut down traffic for more than five hours in that area.

Marietta Police have not identified the victim, a 54-year-old male who lived in metro Atlanta, because they are still notifying his family.

Police said he was riding in a silver 2010 Chevy Silverado truck traveling southbound on I-75 between the Loop exits around 1:30 a.m. when it collided with a black 2008 Infinity G37.

The truck hit a guardrail, then spun back into the interstate and struck two tractor-trailers, according to police, who said the victim was ejected from the truck, which caught on fire.

No one else was transported by ambulance, according to police, who said all southbound lanes of I-75 were closed until around 7 a.m., to clean up liquids from the vehicles involved in the accident.

Marietta Police said anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Ofc. St. Onge at 770-794-5352.

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Murdock Elementary lockdown extends voting time

December 5, 2018 3:32 PMDecember 4, 2018 3:59 PM by Wendy Parker

A brief lockdown at Murdock Elementary School has resulted in extended voting time at the polling station located there in today’s runoff elections.

The extra time is only brief—11 minutes, to match the period of a Code Yellow lockdown, according to Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt.

He said Cobb County Senior Judge George Kreeger signed an order to keep the precinct open there longer this afternoon.

So if you vote at Murdock (2320 Murdock Road), that precinct will now close at 7:11 p.m. instead of the usual 7 p.m.

We’re seeking further information about the Murdock lockdown from the Cobb County School District.

It was the second such lockdown in Cobb schools today, and that also affected voting times.

Earlier this morning, Teasley Elementary School in Vinings was locked down for around 20 minutes after reports of a man with a gun in the vicinity of the school.

Those reports turned out to be false, but the polling station at Teasley will stay open until 7:20, also after Kreeger issued an order, according to Cavitt.

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Former East Cobb wrestling coach pleads guilty to child molestation

November 27, 2018 3:48 PM by Wendy Parker

Ron Gorman, who served as a volunteer coach with the Pope wrestling teams, pleaded guilty in Cobb Superior Court on Tuesday to two counts of child molestation. Ron Gorman, former East Cobb wrestling coach

Gorman, 53, was given a 25-year sentence by Judge Gregory Poole, with 20 to serve without parole, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.

Gorman was to have gone on trial after being charged with abusing a 14-year-old boy in Cobb County in 2010, according to prosecutors, who said the victim disclosed the abuse last year to authorities in Monroe County, Pa.

That’s where Gorman had been sentenced to 20-40 years in February for sexually assaulting boys there, including the boy prosecutors said was also victimized in Cobb.

According to the Cobb DA’s office, Gorman was extradited to Cobb to face the charges here and will be returned to Pennsylvania, where he will serve his sentences concurrently.

“This is a prime example of how child predators can work their way into positions of trust and authority, and then turn that trust into a weapon against children,” said Chuck Boring, Cobb deputy chief assistant district attorney and head of the Cobb DA’s special victims unit.

Gorman moved to Cobb in 2009 and was a volunteer with Pope Junior Wrestling, which feeds into the highly successful Pope High School program, where he also was a parent volunteer. He also was a coach at Life College in Marietta.

Gorman was arrested at his East Cobb home in March 2017 and eventually was charged by Pennsylvania authorities with a total of 513 counts, including child rape and statutory sexual assault.

His accusers in Pennsylvania claimed Gorman subjected them to frequent and continuous assaults, sometimes on a weekly basis, for several years, including in Georgia.

News reports last March and earlier this year quoted a Cobb woman who became concerned about Gorman in 2011. That’s when she saw a crude, sexually themed Facebook message sent by him to her son, then 12, and a member of the Pope junior wrestling program.

She said she was told by then-Pope principal Rick Beaulieu not to go to law enforcement. Gorman was suspended from any involvement with Pope wrestling for a year, but it was six years later that he was charged.

Boring said in court Tuesday that there are no other charges that Gorman is facing in Cobb. In Pennsylvania, prosecutors heard allegations that Gorman abused minors dating back to the 1980s, but the statue of limitations had run out.

“Hopefully this conclusion gives his victims some sort of closure and justice, whether they have reported his abuse or not,” Boring said.

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Sandy Plains Road bank robbery suspect sought after Halloween heist

November 20, 2018 2:19 PMNovember 16, 2018 5:39 PM by Wendy Parker

Sandy Plains Road bank robbery suspect

Police need the public’s help locating a Sandy Plains Road bank robbery suspect who got away after a holdup on Halloween.

UPDATED, Nov. 20, 2:20 P.M.: Police say the suspect apparently shot himself this morning as they attempted to serve him with a search warrant.

On Friday Marietta Police released surveillance photos of the man they say held up the SunTrust Bank branch at 1840 Sandy Plains Road.

The robbery took place at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, according to police, who said the man handed a teller a note demanding cash and saying he had a gun.

He left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said.

The suspect is described as a slender white male, between six feet and 6-foot-5, with police adding that he bears “unique physical features including birthmarks and his distinct chin structure.”

Police also said the circumstances of this robbery resemble a similar bank robbery at a Wells Fargo Bank at 2687 Sandy Plains Road on June 22.

Anyone with information about the Oct. 31 robbery is asked to contact Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS or Marietta Detective Greene at 770-794-2365.

Call Cobb Police at 770-499-3945 with information about the June robbery.

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Cobb school bus camera program extended for five years

November 13, 2018 3:09 PMNovember 13, 2018 12:08 PM by Wendy Parker

The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved an agreement to continue a joint school bus camera program with county courts and public schools for another five years.

The automated enforcement system issues citations to motorists who ignore school bus “stop arm” signs. The cameras, equipped on about 100 of nearly 1,000 buses in the Cobb County School District, take photos of the license plates of violating vehicles.

The agreement (agenda item here, formal agreement doc here) includes the Cobb County State Court Clerk, the camera manufacturer American Traffic Solutions and the Cobb Board of Education, which also must approve the agreement. ATS school bus camera, Cobb school bus camera program

The commissioners’ action comes after the original agreement was extended by a year.

Cobb State Court judges had not been enforcing the violations for a time earlier this year, questioning their legality. Enforcement resumed in February, but the county said the burden of handling stop arm violations required additional staffing.

In September, commissioners approved the creation of three positions in Cobb State Court and two more in the Cobb Solicitors office to start with the fiscal year 2019 that began in October.

County officials estimate more than 8,000 such cases are generated annually. Each violation comes with a fine of $300.

The fine money, which exceeded $2 million in 2017, is split evenly between the county, Cobb schools and ATS, which provides the cameras at no charge.

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Man ejected from truck after Northeast Cobb car crash Monday

November 12, 2018 6:14 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb Police said a motorist was thrown from a pickup truck Monday morning in a collision with another vehicle at Canton Road and Piedmont Road.

Officer Sarah O’Hara, a spokeswoman for Cobb Police, said Patrick Bruce, 38, of Marietta, was driving a maroon 1998 Ford F-150 north on Canton Road when the truck left the road.

The truck struck a utility pole and a stone wall before returning to Canton Road, then hit a black 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer SS, also heading north, according to police.

O’Hara said the Chevrolet driver was able to bring her vehicle to a stop at Canton and Old Piedmont Road, while Bruce was ejected during the collision.

O’Hara said Bruce was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the Chevrolet, Donna Kelley, 53, of Marietta, was not injured, police said.

O’Hara said the crash is still being investigated and that police expect to file charges. Anyone with information is asked to Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

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East Cobb This Week: Ecumenical Thanksgiving Celebration; gerrymandering discussion; Cookies With a Cop and more

November 11, 2018 2:51 PMNovember 11, 2018 1:49 PM by Wendy Parker

Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service

It’s the week before Thanksgiving, and holiday-themed events are popping up on our East Cobb events calendar, including the Ecumenical Thanksgiving Celebration. on Thursday.

It’s the 14th annual service starting at at 7 p.m. at Temple Kol Emeth (1415 Old Canton Road), and this year’s theme is “Harmonizing the Voice of Humanity.” Representatives of Jewish, Christian, Muslim and other metro area faith communities will participate in readings, music and fellowship.

Given the recent Pittsburgh synagogue shootings, the theme is especially appropriate.

The public is invited to stay for dessert and is asked to bring canned food donations for Must Ministries and an offering for Give-a-Gobble. Overflow parking is at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3155 Trickum Road.

The elections are over, but the League of Women Voters of Marietta-Cobb is delving into lingering political matters with a discussion Monday night about gerrymandering. It starts at 7 p.m. at WellStar East Cobb Health Park (3747 Roswell Road), and the guest speaker is Elizabeth McNamara, the former president of the League of Women Voters of the U.S.

Cobb Police are continuing their community outreach events with citizens on Tuesday. Cookies With a Cop goes from 6-8 p.m. at the Great American Cookies/Marble Slab Creamery in Providence Square Shopping Center (4101 Roswell Road). Bring your questions about crime and public safety for Precinct 4 community officers to answer in an informal setting.

Check our full calendar listings for more, including a number of public library book club and other events going on during this week, and beyond.

Did we miss anything? Do you have a calendar item you’d like to share with the community? Send it to us, and we’ll spread the word! E-mail: calendar@eastcobbnews.com, and you can include a photo or flyer if you like.

Whatever you’re doing this week, make it a great one! Enjoy!

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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