Police are sending out word that there’s going to be an East Cobb crime forum Thursday night to address a rash of burglaries affecting citizens of Asian and Indian descent.
The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the East Cobb Senior Center (3322 Sandy Plains Road).
Here’s more from Lt. Nathan McCreary, head of the Cobb Police Precinct 4 Criminal Investigations Unit:
The forum will focus on the increase in burglaries targeting the Asian and Indian community in East Cobb County. All citizens are invited to attend and encouraged to participate. The presentation will include crime stats and methods for all citizens to use to decrease the potential of becoming a victim.
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Officer Phil Bradford was appointed to a new emergency management specialist role with the Cobb County School District police. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
As they were rolling out a new website dedicated to safety issues, officials—as well as officers— from Cobb schools tried to reassure parents at an East Cobb town hall meeting Thursday that they were being proactive in dealing with a variety of threats to students, teachers and staff alike.
The new site, called Cobb Shield, includes much of the material presented to the audience of around 50 parents at the Lassiter Concert Hall.
Some of them had specific questions about threats of violence, accidents, assaults and bullying, but school officials said they couldn’t answer some of those questions in public.
One came from a Lassiter mother, who wanted more information about a report of bullet casings that were found in a classroom during the current school year.
John Adams, the Cobb schools deputy superintendent for human resources and operations, told her that a communication was sent to parents from the Lassiter administration. When she said she hadn’t received it, Adams said that he “couldn’t comment on an ongoing investigation.”
Adams said the matter “illustrates how . .. students have to be our eyes and ears” in reporting such incidents.
Being watchful was the watchword at the town hall, which featured leaders of the Cobb County School District Police force, which has 65 uniformed officers.
Many of them have years of previous law enforcement service, including Cobb Police. Capt. Wayne Pickett, a former Precinct 4 commander in East Cobb, is one of them, and he’s second-in-command to Chief Ron Storey, also a Cobb Police retiree.
Capt. Wayne Pickett of CCSD said that Code Red drills serve as “a way to surveil” how well schools are prepared for serious threats of violence.
The department average is 26 years of experience, according to Adams, and 12 officers have SWAT training. “We want mature officers who have some experience,” Storey said.
Pickett detailed how ongoing “Code Red” drills are working, especially at the high school level, which are supposed to have one each semester.
He said the unannounced drills are designed to train staff, teachers and students to be better prepared for suspicious persons activity. During the drills, a plain-clothes officer comes to the school and tries to go as far as possible before being noticed.
“The administration has no idea we’re coming,” Pickett said. They’re told “We’re in a Code Red right now. What are you going to do?”
More than anything, he added, school police want to gauge how prepared each school is, with a checklist of around 25 items to keep in mind.
“There’s no way to pre-plan such a stressful activity,” Pickett said. “It’s snapshot of what they do. Do they know the policies for Code Red?”
After a drill, school police meet with administrators to identify successes and improvements. If there are enough problems at a school, another drill may be ordered.
A report is sent up the administrative line at the district, all the way to the superintendent.
Pickett said “we haven’t had too many that are bad. Most are exceptionally good.”
The AlertPoint system, Ofc. Phil Bradford said, “empowers every member of the staff to take action” to ensure safety.
When a parent asked about inspecting Code Red drill reports, Adams said that’s also something that’s not available to the public, for security reasons.
Officer Phil Bradford, another Cobb Police veteran, heads up a newly created position with the school police as emergency management specialist. He updated the Lassiter audience about the AlertPoint emergency communications system that’s gradually being rolled out at every school in the district.
It’s a $5 million system that was begun in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., school shootings, and features a device issued to teachers and staff. The card-type device allows them to trigger an alert to designated first responders in case of any kind of emergency, from a suspicious person to a health issue.
“The badge identifies who you are and where you are,” Bradford said. “Most important, it leads to instant action.”
Flashing lights and beeper alarms are activated in the case of a Code Red alert and the entire school is notified of a lockdown.
High school classrooms are being issued AlertPoints now, to be followed by those at the middle school and then elementary school level.
An active-shooter training video has been shown to staff for more than a year. Bradford said a safety video has just been completed for elementary students, and another for high school students should be done soon.
Those videos, and other safety-related measures, will gradually be added to the Cobb Shield webpage, said Adams, a former Cobb Police officer. That page also will include a tip line, which is expected to be fully functional by the spring semester.
He encouraged parents to contact him with suggestions at: john.adams@cobbk12.org.
“This is the most important thing we do,” Adams said.
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The Cobb District Attorney’s Office said Friday that 23 people have been sentenced to long prison terms for a range of gang-related criminal offenses in the county in 2015 and 2016.
In a release, DA’s office spokeswoman Kim Isaza said that members of Get Money Squared, Wildlyfe and 2200, three criminal street gangs with roots in Cobb, pleaded guilty to drive-by shootings, drug offenses, thefts, car break-ins, assault, street-gang terrorism, criminal trespass, disrupting a public school and firearms violations.
One of the crimes tied to the defendants included a car break-in on Manning Road in the East Cobb area in January 2016.
Another case tied to the crime spree, according to prosecutors, was a drug sale at Windy Hill Road and Circle 75 Parkway in May 2016.
Isaza said Cobb Superior Court Judge Reuben Green handed down sentences ranging from 10 years to 20 years.
She said many of them were given first-offender status, which means that if they complete their custody and probation periods without further incidents, their records will be sealed.
Isaza said the defendants are between 20-27 years old and come from Cobb, Woodstock, Lawrenceville, Atlanta, and Dothan, Ala. The last of the defendants was sentenced last month, she added, and all of them pleaded guilty to racketeering.
Investigating the case were the Cobb Police Anti-Gang Enforcement Unit, Smyrna Police, Marietta Police and Cobb County School District Police.
“Members and associates of these gangs admitted that they sold drugs, broke into dozens of cars to commit thefts and committed acts of violence against people outside the gangs, all to increase their status within the criminal organization and further the gangs’ violent reputations,” said Cobb Senior Assistant District Attorney Jaret Usher, who prosecuted the case, in a statement.
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“There are a lot of people in District 2, especially in East Cobb, who don’t believe it,” said Commissioner Bob Ott, who devoted most of his town hall meeting on Monday to the subject.
Ott, who recently took part in a special White House conference on opioids, offered up some sobering numbers and speakers who attested to how Cobb is trying to address a situation that not only has spiraled rapidly, but suffers from common misconceptions.
One of them is identying a typical overdose victim. While some think it may be a young person, Dr. Christopher Gulledge, the Cobb County Medical Examiner, told told mostly middle-age and senior citizens at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center that the opioids plague is striking people from all walks of life and all age groups across the county.
Still, of the 163 drug overdose deaths in Cobb last year, he said 67 percent were men, and 89 percent were white (see page 30 of the 2017 CCME’s annual report).
Some in the audience gasped when Gulledge noted that 47 overdose victims, or a little more than a quarter, were white males ages 50-59. Furthermore, 26 were in the 40-49 age group, and 32 more between 30-39. Another 18 deaths were in the 18-29 range.
Dr. Christopher Gulledge, the Cobb County Medical Examiner, said the rise in opioid overdose deaths in the county represents “exponential growth.”
“It ain’t the teenagers,” said Gulledge, who was hired by Cobb in 2015 after working for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “It’s the parents.”
Topping the list were 62 deaths due to overdoses from fentanyl and other “designer” opioids. There were 37 deaths each from heroin and cocaine overdoses, 34 from methamphetamine, 33 from Alprazolam (trade name Xanax) and 30 from Oxycodone.
The opioid-related deaths in Cobb last year came to 128, and Gulledge said that 43 percent of those 163 deaths involved the use of heroin, fentanyl or both.
The opioid numbers have risen rapidly since the crisis began stoking concern in Georgia in 2015, and Gulledge said Cobb could be on pace to surpass last year’s total.
Gulledge said one reason for the spike in opioids deaths is that addicts of more familiar drugs may not be aware how much more potent they can become when blended with the likes of fentanyl.
“Long-term users have known their high,” he explained. “But they may no longer know their dose. They may or may not know if they’re lethal.”
Earlier this year, the GBI announced that Cobb led all counties in the state for the second year in a row in terms of the numbers of opioids cases it has investigated. A total of 79 cases were reported out of the county through May and 11 different types of fentanyl were tested at the state crime lab.
The opioids crisis originally grew out of the addictive use of commonly-prescribed painkillers. It has morphed far beyond that, spawning an illicit industry in which very potent and cheaply produced substances are cut into heroin, cocaine and other narcotics.
The high for addicts is higher, and so is the profit margin for manufacturers, Gulledge noted.
Cobb has been expanding the Medical Examiner’s Office with new positions and received a federal grant of nearly $900,000 to hire a judicial program manager and an investigator in the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.
The county this summer also joined a lawsuit seeking to recover damages from pharmaceutical manufacturers, similar to what was done by many states years ago against tobacco companies.
Ott said whatever money the county may receive would be used for recovery and treatment expenses.
There also will be a national medical drug disposal day next Saturday, Oct. 27, sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Cobb residents can drop off unused prescriptions at the following locations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.:
Cobb Police Precinct 1 (2380 Cobb Parkway North);
Smyrna Police Department (2646 Atlanta Road);
Kennesaw Police Department (2782 Cobb Parkway North).
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The Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services is telling the public that there are people calling to solicit donations for a group called Firefighters Support Funds, but that this is a fraudulent activity.
The warning indicated that the group isn’t affiliated with any department or agency in Georgia, and that its purpose is “to scam funds.”
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Early this morning there was an officer-involved shooting at the Walton on the Chattahoochee apartments that resulted in the death of a man Cobb Police say was shooting in the parking lot.
The incident, which took place around 6 a.m., kept Akers Mill Road closed between Cumberland Boulevard and Powers Ferry Road until around 1:30 this afternoon, according to Cobb DOT.
When there’s an officer-involved shooting, the case is turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Late this afternoon the GBI said the man who was killed was Matthew Chambers, age 34, address unspecified.
Police said a man began shooting in the parking lot and they were called to the scene by residents of the apartment complex, which is located at 6640 Akers Mill Road, near the intersection of Powers Ferry.
Police said the man was shooting at vehicles, and that officers found him at a bus stop on Akers Mill, and he pointed his gun at them. Police returned fire, according to the GBI, and the man later identified as Chambers was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital. Chambers was pronounced dead there, according to the GBI.
The GBI said no one else, including police, was injured during the incident, which remains under investigation.
After that is complete, the GBI report is forwarded to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office for a review.
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Just a little while ago Cobb government public information officer Ross Cavitt sent out the following message and video here of crews working in the Vinings area, related to county preparations for what we might get via Hurricane Michael:
Cobb County’s Emergency Management Agency participated in National Weather Service and GEMA briefings this afternoon. We expect some gusty winds and up to two inches of rain in this area. Much of this will happen after dark tonight.
Cobb County Department of Transportation crews spent much of the day clearing clogged storm drains and preparing their tree clearing equipment in anticipation of work tonight.
Cobb County Emergency Management Director Cassie Mazloom says the tornado threat in the Cobb area is low but still worth monitoring. The biggest concern remains downed trees and power outages, especially since we’ve been in a fairly dry period.
Just before the eye of the storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane earlier this afternoon, wind gusts of nearly 150 mph were measured at Tydall AFB near Panama City Beach, Fla., according to news reports there.
Yesterday Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency in 93 counties in central and south Georgia, which are expected to get a heavy brunt from Michael.
Today he expanded that area to 108 counties, many of which are now under a hurricane warning, according to the National Weather Service, with the threat of devastating amounts of heavy rain and hurricane-force winds, possibly in excess of 70 mph.
The storm is projected to sweep up part of the Middle Atlantic coast before crossing into the Atlantic Ocean.
In the video, the interview is with Gary Pongetti, Cobb DOT Drainage Division Maintenance Supervisor.
Earlier this morning, the Cobb County School District sent out this message:
We continue to remain in contact with the National Weather Service and are monitoring the track of Hurricane Michael. Our Operations and Transportation teams are ready to get every student to school and back home safely for the rest of the week!
High temperatures in Cobb are expected to cool, starting on Thursday, and not get out of the 70s for the rest of the week. Low temperatures are expected to drop into the 50s, with mostly sunny weather on the weekend after the chance of rain and showers on Thursday.
The National Hurricane Center said today that the only stronger storm on record to reach so far north on the Gulf Coast was Hurricane Camille, a Category 5 storm in 1969 that slammed into the Mississippi coast, killing more than 200 people and reaching winds of more than 170 mph.
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A woman who went on a crime spree that included the death of a pedestrian near Bells Ferry Road two years ago has been sentenced to prison.
The Cobb District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday that Kristie Renee Nesby, 45, of Fresno, Texas, has been sentenced to 55 years in prison, with 20 to serve and the rest on parole.
She pleaded guilty but mentally ill last week to several felony charges, including killing Luci Turner, 71, who was struck by a car driven by Nesby.
Prosecutors said that incident came at the end what the DA’s office called a “bizarre” string of crimes by Nesby in May 2016.
Nesby, who was to go on trial next week, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to 10 charges, including homicide by vehicle, armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, hit and run, aggravated assault, and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Around 5 a.m. on May 11, 2016, they said Nesby robbed the owner of a Smyrna cleaning business, then hit another vehicle while speeding on Interstate 575. Prosecutors said Nesby fled the scene, drove the wrong way on an exit ramp and hit another car.
Shortly after 6 a.m., the DA’s office said Nesby was driving on Cobb Parkway near Bells Ferry Road when her car left the road and went on a sidewalk, hitting Turner, who was walking to her job at a nearby Burger King.
Turner, who had been a teacher and a volunteer at MUST Ministries, died of her injuries at WellStar Kennestone Hospital.
After that incident, prosecutors said Nesby hijacked a car driven by a female motorist on Bells Ferry Road and fled toward Interstate 75. She then hijacked a second car and robbed a woman of her cell phone, according to the DA’s office.
Prosecutors said that while driving to Atlanta Nesby called 911 and said she would take a hostage and kill the hostage and herself if police didn’t chase her with blue lights and stop her.
She crashed into several vehicles in Atlanta and tried to hijack another car before being arrested there, according to prosecutors, who said police found her in possession of two handguns.
Prosecutors said Nesby contended that among other things, a fast food employee put something in a soft drink she had ordered that caused her to hallucinate and commit the crimes.
The Cobb DA’s office enlisted the help of mental health experts who evaluated Nesby, and that prosecutors and Nesby’s attorney asked the court to find her mentally ill.
Cobb Superior Court Judge Stephen Schuster accepted Nesby’s plea before issuing the sentence, the Cobb DA’s office said.
Nesby, who has been in the Cobb County jail since her arrest, will receive credit for time served, according to the Cobb DA’s office, which said she also will receive mental health treatment in prison.
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In the wake of arrests made earlier this week in an attempted child abduction incident off Bells Ferry Road, some social media chatter centered on an individual spotted in some East Cobb neighborhoods, in particular around Holly Springs Road and the vicinity of Pope High School.
Cobb Police Lt. Nathan McCreary, who heads up criminal investigations for Precinct 4, has issued the following response to those citizens’ concerns:
The Cobb County Police Department is aware of the information that has been making rounds on social media platforms regarding a suspicious male in a black Nissan Maxima in the East Cobb area, specifically Holly Springs Road. Investigators have identified and spoken to the involved individual who was cooperative with the investigation. At this time, we have found no evidence of criminal activity associated with the vehicle or its driver.
We want to thank the citizens for their vigilance and encourage everyone to call 911 if they see a suspicious person or vehicles. Do not hesitate to use the emergency line to report any and all suspicious activity.
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A man found guilty last week of raping a 4-year-old girl at his Delk Road apartment was given two life sentences plus 120 years.
Frederick Wade Sherwood, 48, was convicted Friday by a Cobb Superior Court jury of all charges, including rape, aggravated sodomy and child molestation, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.
The sentence was handed down by Cobb Superior Court Judge Grant Brantley.
Prosecutors said the attacks occurred between 2014 and 2015 in Sherwood’s Delk Road apartment (according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office, his home address is listed as 2650 Delk Road, the Stratford Ridge Apartments).
Prosecutors said the girl was four years old when the assaults began, and she disclosed the abuse to family members in early 2016.
During the trial, according to the DA’s office, she clutched a stuffed animal on the witness stand, saying she initially told no one about the abuse because she feared Sherwood would be mad at her.
A male witness testified during the trial to having been sexually abused by Sherwood years before in another city.
“Any time a small child has to face their abuser in court is particularly difficult,” Cobb assistant district attorney Katie Gropper, who prosecuted the case, said in a statement.
“We are always hopeful that the judicial process is an empowering step towards healing. While we can’t undo the harm the Defendant caused to this child, the jury’s verdict will help bring a sense of justice and closure and ensure that Mr. Sherwood can never harm another child in our community.”
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Around 4 p.m. today Georgia DOT noted what appeared to be one of the last of the cows rambling around I-285 and I-75 that literally stopped traffic for a time in one of metro Atlanta’s busiest interchanges.
Traffic in the area was affected all day after a tractor-trailer truck carrying dozens of cows overturned on a ramp from I-285 east to I-75 north after 3 a.m.
The above Georgia 511 camera photo was taken near Northside Drive on the eastbound side of 285, with the possibility that there was one other cow still at-large.
Shortly after that, police in Sandy Springs—were many of the loose cows had roamed—reported that “we have captured the rogue cow.”
After the accident, many cows spilled out onto the roadway and nearby areas, and around a dozen cows reportedly were killed by oncoming vehicles.
More than 70 cows were ultimately retrieved by law enforcement. Cobb Fire crews, assisting Georgia DOT, worked with saws to cut open the cattle truck to free the remaining cows inside.
Traffic on I-285 was shut down for a time before daybreak, but the round-up—as well as the clean-up from the aftermath of the accident—lasted into the afternoon rush hour.
The driver of the truck was taken to a hospital with injuries.
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From the Cobb County Neighborhood Safety Commission and Cobb Police:
National Coffee-With-A-Cop Day is Wednesday, October 3, 2018.
Coffee-With-A-Cop brings police officers and the community members they serve together–over coffee–to discuss issues and learn more about each other. In the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee, citizens and police officers can get to know each other and discover mutual goals for the communities they live in and serve.
Officers will be at the following locations on Oct. 3rd:
– Dunkin Donuts located at 4290 Bells Ferry Rd., Kennesaw, Ga. 30144 (from 2:30 pm until 4:00 pm)
– Panera Bread located at 1605 East-West Connector, Austell, Ga. 30106 (from 6:00 pm until 7:30 pm)
– Dunkin Donuts located at 2022 Powers Ferry Rd., Atlanta, Ga. 30339 (from 3:00 pm until 4:30 pm)
– Whole Foods located at 1311 Johnson’s Ferry Rd., Marietta, Ga. 30068 (from 3:00 pm until 4:30 pm)
– Dunkin Donuts located at 2475 Dallas Highway, Marietta, Ga. 30064 (from 8:00 am until 9:30 am)
We look forward to seeing you at one of these locations. As always, please be careful in your travels.
If you have any questions concerning this event, please contact Sgt Tatroe at 770-399-3981. Also, all our events are child friendly, so if the youngsters are available, please bring them so they can meet and talk with the officers as well.
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Cobb Police said a man walking along Pete Shaw Road in Northeast Cobb Tuesday night was struck by a vehicle.
Officer Sarah OHara said that Kevin Scholfield, 36, of a Northeast Cobb address, was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital with injuries that are not expected to be life-threatening.
She said Scholfield was walking westbound on Pete Shaw between Regas Drive and Bramblebush Trail around 10 p.m. Tuesday when he was hit from behind by a vehicle, also headed west.
O’Hara said the vehicle fled the scene, and that when officers arrived, they found Scholfield was conscious and alert. However, police said he could not provide a description of the vehicle.
Anyone with information is asked to call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.
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We’ve just heard from Jeffrey Glossop, the chief ranger at the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, who said this morning the panhandler who fled from a pursuit at the Sope Creek trails by his rangers and Cobb Police on Tuesday is still at-large
The park also has released some surveillance photos of the man, who may be homeless and living in the nearby woods.
He’s described as a black male in his early 40s, and is around 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10 and weighs around 170 pounds, and has a droopy or lazy eye.
Glossop said the man was last seen wearing a dark t-shirt and spotted or plaid light-colored pants.
“We don’t have any reason to think he’s a threat to anyone,” but if you should see him do not approach him but call 911, Glossop said.
The saga actually began on Monday, when Glossop said his office got a call from a park visitor who said a man was sleeping in the woods in the Sope Creek unit.
He said park rangers responded and found him in a tent, but the man got away.
On Tuesday, he said, they got complaints from park visitors about panhandling by a man who matched the description of the individual they spotted on Monday.
Glossop said that man has an outstanding warrant in Rockdale County, but doesn’t know what for.
The Sope Creek trails are open to the public today; Glossop said only the Paper Mill Road parking lot for access to those trails was closed briefly while Cobb Police units were on the scene assisting with the search.
Glossop said visitors were asked during that time to park in the lot off Columns Drive to access the Sope Creek trails.
The park area is located near Sope Creek Elementary School, which was “operating on a normal schedule” on Wednesday, according to a Cobb County School District spokesperson.
ORIGINAL REPORT POSTED 5 P.M. TUESDAY, SEPT. 18
The National Park Service was searching for a panhandler who slipped away on Tuesday in the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area Cochran Shoals Unit in East Cobb, prompting a closure of the Sope Creek Trails.
The Chattahoochee NRA released a public message about the closure around 11 a.m. Tuesday, but didn’t say why.
Sgt. Wayne Delk, a spokesman for Cobb Police, said Cobb Police were called to assist in the search.
He said the individual being sought also has an outstanding warrant in Rockdale County, but he did not know the reason for the warrant.
Delk said the panhandler isn’t considered a threat to the public, and that the NPS is continuing the search.
East Cobb News has left a message with the Chattahoochee NRA and will update with more information.
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Marietta Police say a 24-year-old woman was strangled to death at her home in the Merritt Road area early Thursday, and that they have charged a man living there with her murder.
The body of Xi-anna Graham was discovered at her home at 697 Bonnie Dell Drive around 4 a.m. Thursday, according to police, who said there had been an “ongoing domestic dispute.”
The suspect taken into custody is Christopher Gene Scarboro, 27, whom police said resided at the home with Graham and her four children.
He has been charged with felony homicide, aggravated assault and third-degree child cruelty. According to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, Scarboro is being held without bond.
Marietta Police said the investigation into the murder continues and that anyone with information should contact Det. Michael Selleck at 770-794-5372.
Police said anyone who’s been abused or knows someone who has should seek help immediately. Resources include contacting 1-800-33-HAVEN, as well as the National Domestic Violence Hotline. It’s available 24/7/365 in English and Spanish via website chat, phone call or text at 800-799-7233.
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According to Cobb District Attorney’s office information, Spencer Wayne Herron, 48, was indicted in the past week on five counts of sexual assault of a student.
Herron, who had been a video teacher at Kell for 16 years, was named the school’s teacher of the year two years ago.
Arrest warrants indicate Herron has been accused of having sex multiple times with a student on campus from early 2016 through the 2017-18 school year.
Herron was taken to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on June 1, and remains there on a $50,000 bond, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.
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Marietta Police said today they’ve made four arrests for human trafficking activity they say was taking place at a motel in the Delk Road area.
Police said they got a 911 call early Monday morning from a 15-year-old girl who said she was forced to have sex with multiple men in a room at the Days Inn (2191 Northwest Parkway). The girl said she was told she would be killed if she tried to leave, according to police.
Police said Marietta detectives rescued the girl and took out search warrants for two rooms at the Days Inn, arresting three suspects there and another at a nearby motel.
Marietta Police say the following individuals have been charged and were taken into custody at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center Monday afternoon:
Kamari Bolden, 22, of Atlanta, trafficking;
Laura Waugh, 17, of Morrow, trafficking and giving a false name and date of birth;
Kenneth Thomas, 22, of Fairburn, keeping a place of prostitution and pimping;
Douglas White, 26, of Dallas, trafficking and pimping.
Bolden, Thomas and White are being held without bond and Waugh is being held on a $25,000 bond, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.
Police said the investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to call Marietta Police Detective Mark Erion at 770-794-5363.
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A Stockbridge man convicted for an East Cobb murder more than four years ago was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole on Monday.
Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark issued the sentence to Johnathan Allan Wheeler Monday afternoon, not long after he was found guilty of malice murder by a jury.
Wheeler, now 35, was on trial last week for the murder of Jerry L. Moore, who was found stabbed 32 times at his home on Gracewood Drive, off Holly Springs Road, on Jan. 25, 2014.
Wheeler also was convicted of felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery and first-degree burglary, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.
Cobb prosecutors said during the trial that Wheeler worked at a Woodstock bakery run by Moore’s roommate, Ross Byrne. Moore, who was 46 at the time of his death, was a half-owner in the business but wanted to get out, according to assistant Cobb District Attorney Jesse Evans.
Evans said during the trial that Byrne had been a business mentor to Wheeler and had moved out of Moore’s home a few weeks before the murder. After the stabbings, Evans said, Wheeler went to Byrne’s residence.
Wheeler’s cousin testified during the trial that he confessed to the murder. Cynthia Wheeler agreed to testify against Wheeler after being sentenced in 2016 for helping him clean up the home after the crime and stealing household items there.
The Cobb DA also said that Wheeler confessed to the murders to his brother and stepfather, both of whom testified at the trial.
“This was a relentless, sustained, malicious attack by a cold-blooded killer,” Evans told jurors in his closing statements while showing them pictures at the crime scene, according to the DA’s office. “The defendant pursued, out of greed and out of malice. No human being should ever have this inflicted on them.”
Wheeler served nearly a decade in prison for robbery and assault in Cobb and Cherokee counties, and was released in 2010.
Over the last two years, Wheeler had written frequently from the Cobb County Adult Detention Center to the court in pleas for a speedy trial, according to documents filed with the Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s office.
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Precinct 4 officers honored at the East Cobb Business Association’s Public Safety Appreciation Dinner in 2017. (East Cobb News file photo)
The East Cobb Business Association is once again organizing public safety dinners for Cobb police and firefighters, and is asking for financial and prize donations and sponsorships.
The dinner for Precinct 4 police personnel is in the fall, and for county firefighters in April.
Susan Hampton and Kim Paris, co-chairs of the dinner, have sent out an appeal, and here’s more about the level of community involvement in the event:
We are blessed to live, work and raise our families in this wonderful community. We appreciate the continued support of The East Cobb Business Association, event host, and the presenting sponsor, WellStar East Cobb Health Park. Both are represented on the event committee that also includes individuals from East Cobb community-based groups including the Cobb Chamber’s East Cobb Area Council, East Cobb Citizen of the Year award recipients, area civic clubs, and representatives from both the police and fire departments.
We are delighted to continue to work together to plan these appreciation events, and to raise the funds necessary to insure their success. We are reaching out to individuals, businesses, civic and other nonprofit organizations, schools, neighborhoods and churches, and hope you will join us in support of our Public Safety heroes!
Monetary donations can be made in any amount, and for $25 individuals will be identified with a “Thank a Hero” card delivered to public safety honorees at the events.
Here’s more about donating and sponsoring, which run from $250 (silver), $500 (gold) and $1,000 (platinum). There’s also an online sign-up form and other information at that link.
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A couple of community-oriented events are coming up with Cobb Police this week, starting with National Night Out from 5-9 Tuesday at Jim Miller Park (2245 Callaway Road, Marietta). Here’s what will be going on:
“This event is part of the continued effort to build and strengthen public safety personnel’s relationships with the community they serve. Admission is free and everyone is invited to enjoy an evening of food, fun and entertainment. There will be public safety demonstrations, 15 giant inflatable and water activities for children, food trucks and live music. The School of Rock will perform on the main stage all evening. Also, there will be balloon artists, face painters, jugglers and magicians.
“National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes camaraderie to ensure our neighborhoods are safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. It also provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.”
On Wednesday, the Cobb Police Coffee With a Cop sessions resume in East Cobb. This is a chance to meet with police officers and ask crime and public safety questions. That session will be from 6-8 p.m. at Zaxby’s at 2981 Delk Road.
Another session takes place Aug. 17 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at Sterling Estates East Cobb (4220 Lower Roswell Road).
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