Woman charged with vehicular homicide in fatal East Cobb crash

A motorist whose car hit another in a fatal East Cobb crash Sunday night has been charged with first-degree vehicular homicide.Cobb Police, fatal East Cobb accident

Tracy Jean Latronica, 37, of Shadowlawn Road in East Cobb, was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center late Sunday night, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office information.

She remained there on Monday afternoon on a $5,720 bond.

Cobb Police said Latronica was turning left onto Robinson Road West after traveling westbound on Roswell Road shortly before 9:30 p.m., when the 2012 gray Ford Explorer she was driving struck a silver 2012 Toyota Camry in the intersection that also includes East Lake Parkway.

The driver of the Camry was a 15-year-old male from Marietta. All five passengers in that vehicle were taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, according to police, who said one of them, Begum Fazilatunnesa, 74, of Marietta, was pronounced dead after suffering critical injuries.

Police said the other occupants were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, and Latronica did not require medical attention.

Latronica also has been charged with DUI, failure to yield on a left turn and serious injury by vehicle.

Police said an investigation into the crash is continuing and anyone with information should contact the Cobb Police STEP Unit at 770-499-3987.

 

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The do’s and don’t of the new Georgia hands free driving law

Via Heads Up Georgia, details about what you will and will not be able to do with an electronic device in your car, starting July 1. The law was sponsored by Northeast Cobb Republican John Carson, who recently clarified that there won’t be a grace period to begin enforcement.Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Georgia hands free driving law

From the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (which has a countdown to the enactment of the new law), here are the penalties for violations and where you can read the entire law.

More below from Cobb Police:

Distracted driving was found to be the leading cause of accidents. Recently House Bill 673 (Hands Free/Distracted Driver Law) was passed and will take effect July 1st to help with this issue.

The new law states that you cannot support any wireless device with any part of your body. This means that you:

  1. CANNOT hold it in your hand
  2. CANNOT lay it in your lap
  3. CANNOT hold it against your ear with your shoulder

Additionally, the law addresses further uses of the phone while driving:

  1. You CANNOT watch or record a video
  2. You CANNOT type, send, or read any text based communication

You MAY use your phone if legally parked. This does not include stopped at a light or stop sign, only legally parked in areas such as parking lots or driveways.

You MAY use your phone as GPS but you MUST set it up before you begin driving and are legally parked. If you need to change your route, you must be legally parked.

Important things to remember:

  1. Citizens may handle an electronic device while driving if they are: Reporting a traffic accident, medical emergency, fire, crime, delinquent act, or hazardous road condition.
  2. Law enforcement officers are exempt from the law as long as they are performing their official duties.

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New charges against Precinct 4 Cobb Police officer include criminal solicitation

A Cobb Police officer who was arrested on Monday for aggravated assault is facing additional charges that include the solicitation of a minor girl for sex.Cobb Police

Cobb Police said Thursday that Officer Robert New has been charged with criminal solicitation and computer pornography involving the use of wireless internet. Police said they’re investigating with the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office.

Both of the new charges are felonies. Warrant information indicates that New attempted to solicit a 12-year-old girl and another female related to her via text.

New, 46, who has been a patrol officer at the East Cobb-based Precinct 4, remains in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center without bond.

He was arrested at his home on Hawkins Store Road and charged with assault and battery involving a woman in an off-duty incident. New is accused of slapping and choking a 44-year-old woman in a sexual encounter in March.

At a press conference Tuesday, Cobb Police Chief Mike Register said investigators believe New met the woman online. After a forensic interview with the woman, he said, they determined she had the mental capacity of a child between 10 and 14 years of age.

Register also said the department is responding to a non-criminal administrative complaint against New by another woman.

New had his first hearing with a Cobb Magistrate Court judge Tuesday and was told his bond hearing would be July 10. He has been placed on administrative leave without pay by Cobb Police.

New began his Cobb Police career at Precinct 4 and served on the department’s DUI task force before returning to Precinct 4.

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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Cobb Police officer charged with aggravated assault placed on unpaid leave; jailed without bond

A Cobb Police officer charged with aggravated assault stemming from an off-duty incident with a woman has been placed on unpaid administrative leave while an internal investigation against him continues. Cobb Police Officer charged

At a brief news conference Tuesday afternoon, Cobb Police Chief Mike Register said Officer Robert L. New has been a patrol officer at Precinct 4 in East Cobb.

According to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, New was booked late Monday night on a felony charge of aggravated assault-strangulation and a misdemeanor charge of simple battery. He remains in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center without bond, according to jail records.

Register said New was arrested around 10 p.m. at his home after police received a complaint on Saturday “concerning acts of violence with an adult female.”

Cobb Police began an investigation led by Capt. Everett Cebula, head of internal affairs and until recently the deputy commander at Precinct 4, and the department’s sexual victims unit.

Register didn’t specify the acts, although an arrest warrant indicates New is accused of slapping and choking the woman during a sexual encounter sometime in March at his home on Hawkins Store Road.

Register said it’s “fairly certain” New met the woman online.

The chief said a forensic interview with the woman determined that she had a mental capacity of between 10 and 14 years of age.

Register said in response to a media question about the incident that “both parties consented, but the actions that took place during the encounter brought us to take out warrants against Officer New.”

Register said search warrants have been taken out for “where the incident occurred” and that portion of the investigation is continuing.

He also said the department is acting “with the intent to reach a timely decision” about New’s employment status.

Register said New started with Cobb Police in February 2005 and was assigned to Precinct 4 in East Cobb. He later served on the department’s DUI Task Force before returning to Precinct 4.

“We will do the right thing for the victim and the process for the officer,” Register said.

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.

UPDATED, Wednesday, June 20, 1:11 P.M.: On Tuesday night, New briefly appeared before a Cobb Magistrate Judge at the Cobb jail, and was told he would have a July 10 bond hearing.

New remains in custody without bond.

 

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Man convicted of serial Cobb rapes sentenced to life in 1986 cold cases

A judge has sentenced a man found guilty of serial Cobb rapes 32 years ago.Cobb serial rapist, Anthony Ledell Brooks

Antonio Ledell Brooks, now 48, was found guilty by a Cobb Superior Court jury on Friday and was given two consecutive life terms plus 20 years by Judge Gregory Poole, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.

Brooks was convicted on two counts each of rape, aggravated assault and false imprisonment and one count of burglary.

According to information released by the DA’s office, the first victim, who was 24 years old at the time, was attacked on Sept. 1, 1986 at a Franklin Road apartment by a man wielding a knife.

A few days later, another woman, aged 23 then and living a block away at another apartment on Franklin Road was raped and severely beaten, according to prosecutors. They said both women were treated at Kennestone Hospital, where their rape kits were collected, but no suspects were identified.

On an unspecified date in 1988, another young woman was raped at an apartment on Powers Ferry Place, off Delk Road and near Powers Ferry Road, the DA’s office said. The woman told police she later saw the same man at her complex and identified him, leading to Brooks’ conviction in that case, the DA’s office said.

It was that conviction that led to the resolution of the Franklin Road rapes, according to prosecutors, a cold case investigation more than 20 years in the making.

In 2008, Georgia Department of Corrections collected Brooks’ DNA and sent it to the GBI for entry in the federal CODIS, or DNA, database.

Five years later, in 2013, the Marietta Police Department asked the GBI Crime Lab to analyze DNA from the 1986 rapes on Franklin Road.

The Cobb DA’s office said the GBI reported an initial match in those kits to Brooks, then took new swabs of Brooks’ DNA and confirmed the matches.

He was put on trial this week, and found guilty after two hours of jury deliberation, the Cobb DA’s office said.

“What happened to these women is every person’s nightmare and despite the passage of over 30 years, justice was served today,” said Cobb assistant district attorney Courtney Veal in a statement. “The defendant has forfeited his right to live in a free society, and the judge’s sentence should ensure that he can never victimize again.”

 

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Cobb Fire Department fireworks safety reminder issued for July 4 holiday

Earlier this week a Cobb Fire Department fireworks safety reminder was issued in anticipation of the July 4 holiday, and it includes information on how to take care of pets as well:Cobb Fire Department fireworks safety reminder

Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services recommends that you attend one of the many professional public firework displays put on at various locations around the county each 4th of July.

If you choose to use fireworks, be sure to follow the recommendations below by the Consumer Product Safety Commission:

  • Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks. Only those 18 and older can legally use fireworks in Georgia;
  • Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers;
  • Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don’t realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals;
  • Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks;
  • Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully;
  • Never point or throw fireworks at another person;
  • Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap;
  • Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly;
  • Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers;
  • After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.

Fireworks can mean misery for pets. Thousands are sedated every year after being frightened by fireworks. Others are so distraught they bolt and get lost or injured.

Keep pets indoors, close the curtains and play music to drown out the noise. Make sure your pet is wearing a collar and tag and is microchipped in case it bolts and becomes lost.

Fireworks can still be enjoyed if at the same time care and consideration are given to pets, livestock and animals living in the surrounding area.

WARNING: Persons choosing to use fireworks should be cognizant of their responsibility to discharge them safely without endangering other persons or property. Please be advised that you have a legal duty to exercise reasonable care in using fireworks and are presumed to intend the natural and probable consequences of your acts. As a result, you may be subject to potential criminal and/or civil liability for any damage to persons or property resulting from your use of fireworks.

 

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East Cobb school safety meeting to discuss shootings and other issues

East Cobb school safety meeting
Parents and family members supporting Walton High School students who staged a March walkout to demand gun-control measures. (East Cobb News file photo)

Thanks to East Cobb News reader and parent Rene’ Brinks Dodd for letting us know about an East Cobb school safety meeting she and other parents are putting together next week at the Whole Foods Merchants Walk location.

It’s next Tuesday, June 19, and starts at 7 p.m. in the meeting room next to the cafe in the front of the store (1289 Johnson Ferry Road) and the public is invited.

Much of this is focused around school shootings, but as you’ll see from Rene’s information below other topics will be on the agenda:

As parents, we have a say in protecting our kids, especially in school. Let’s be proactive and help make the changes the schools need so that one of our Cobb schools doesn’t end up on the news as yet another school tragedy.

I personally think our country’s culture needs to change. Other countries have guns but they don’t have a mass school shooting problem. Why does the US?

If you would like to be a part in making a change and creating a better culture for our kids to be raised in, please attend a parents local meeting next week.

Some of the topics will be recent bomb threat (Dodgen MS), sexual predators (Pope HS and recent arrest at Kell HS) and what else we need to do to make our schools safe to prevent tragedies such as mass shootings.

At Tuesday’s East Cobb meeting will be a speaker from the Sandy Hook Promise program, which trains parents and students about how to reduce and prevent gun violence.

Rene’ attended a recent meeting of the Georgia State Senate School Safety Study Committee, which was formed not long after the Parkland, Fla., school shootings that galvanized students across the country, including East Cobb high schools, to stage a March walkout (previous East Cobb News coverage here).

Members of the committee include Republican Kay Kirkpatrick of East Cobb. Additional meetings will take place through the fall, with the aim to present legislation for the 2019 session of the General Assembly.

Here’s the video of that senate committee meeting earlier this month in Roswell. It’s a little more than two hours. She says the audio quality isn’t good but there are helpful PowerPoint slides and useful information starting at the 18:12 mark.

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Cobb Police Bookbag Palooza collecting school supplies for needy students

Cobb Police Bookbag Palooza

 

Submitted photo and information below from Sgt. Jeff Tattroe about the Cobb Police Bookbag Palooza initiative to collect school supplies for needy students. He’s the head of the department’s community affairs unit and one of the dropoff points is the Precinct 4 headquarters in East Cobb:

Cobb County, it’s time to rally up for a great cause – BOOK BAGPALOOZA. You came through with overwhelming support this past winter with “Giving the Gift of Warmth” coat drive, so let’s now do the same with Book Bag-Palooza.

The Cobb County Police Department’s Community Affairs Unit would like to gather as many book bags and school supplies as possible. The donations that are received will be distributed to those Cobb County students in need at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, which is only two month away!  

We are seeking new book bags, paper, folders, pencils, crayons, glue sticks, markers, etc. Any items that a student, whether they be elementary to high school, would need to start the school year out prepared and proud!  The Palooza starts now.

Drop off locations are any of the Cobb County Pct. locations: 

Pct. 1 ) 2380 Cobb Parkway NW, Kennesaw

Pct. 2 ) 4700 Austell Rd. Austell

Pct. 3 ) 1901 Cumberland Parkway, Atlanta

Pct. 4 ) 4400 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta

Pct. 5 ) 4640 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs

HQ ) 140 North Marietta Parkway, Marietta

The hours for drop off at the above locations are from 9am till 4pm, Monday thru Friday (excluding holidays). If you have a business or club that takes on the Palooza challenge and collects a large amount of school items, one of the Community Affairs officers will be happy to arrange pick-up from your location.

If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call. I look forward to seeing how the residents of Cobb County step up to make sure all students walk in to school proud and ready to learn.

Sgt. Jeff Tatroe

Cobb County Police – Community Affairs supervisor

770-499-3981

jeff.tatroe@cobbcounty.org

 

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East Cobb woman charged with cruelty to children for leaving baby in a hot car

An East Cobb woman has been charged by Cobb Police with reckless conduct and cruelty to children for leaving a baby in her car while she went shopping last month. Cobb Police, East Cobb woman charged

Shoba Marudur, of Ashworth Glen Court in East Cobb, was booked and released on a $10,000 bond on Sunday, May 27, the same day of the incident, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.

According to media reports, Marudur was shopping at the T.J. Maxx store at Providence Square Shopping Center on Roswell Road on a hot afternoon when other shoppers noticed a crying infant girl alone in a car, without windows cracked, and called 911. They also went into to the store to seek out the child’s parent.

The reckless conduct charge against Marudur is a misdemeanor, while the second-degree cruelty to children charge is a felony.

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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Kell High School teacher arrested, charged with sexual assault

A Kell High School teacher arrested on Friday for sexual assault remains in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center today. Cobb Police, Kell High School teacher arrested

Spencer Wayne Herron, 48, was taken into custody at his Acworth home Friday afternoon. He has been charged with three felony counts of sexual assault by a teacher or school administrator.

His bail has been set at $50,000, according to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office.

Herron, who has 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 school year that just ended last month.

This past school year, Herron was a member of the Cobb County School District’s Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council.

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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Cobb Police issue Mattie’s Call for East Cobb woman

Marie Proffitt Long Mattie's Call
Cobb Police photo

Cobb Police have issued a Mattie’s Call alert for an East Cobb woman who left her home Wednesday night and has not been seen since.

Marie Proffitt Long, 74, left her residence on Bluff Stone Terrace in a red 2000 Toyota Sienna van around 7 p.m. Wednesday, according to Cobb Police, who said the Georgia tag number on her vehicle is PNL6421.

Police said she is around 5-foot-5 and weighs around 110 pounds. She has red hair, blue eyes and was last seen wearing dark pants, a flowered shirt and running shoes.

The residence is off Steinhauer Road, near Shallowford Road and Lassiter High School.

Mattie’s Calls are issued for elderly or disabled persons. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call Cobb County Police at 770-499-3911.

 

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Cobb Police raising funds for Special Olympics at Dunkin’ Donuts on Friday

From Cobb Police Sgt. Jeff Tattroe, head of the department’s Community Affairs Unit:Cobb Police

Tomorrow, June 1st, from 5am till 11am, the COPS ON DONUT SHOPS will take place, in partnership with Dunkin Donuts. This event brings together law enforcement and Dunkin Donut stores across Georgia with the goal of raising funds and awareness for Special Olympics Georgia!

Officers from the Cobb County Police Department will be at the following stores, spread throughout Cobb County:

1) 4311 Bells Ferry Road

2) 836 Veterans Memorial Highway

3) 2651 Cobb Parkway NW

4) 980 East Piedmont Road

5) 2475 Dallas Highway

As part of National Donut Day, which is tomorrow, every guest will receive a FREE donut with the purchase of one beverage. Please stop by one of the above stores to take part, make a donation to Special Olympics, and say hello to your Cobb County Police. 

Let’s make this program a HUGE success in Cobb. If you are not able to stop by tomorrow morning, you can still make a difference for Special Olympics Georgia by visiting specialolympicsga.ejoinme.org/donuts. Please enter Cobb County Police when prompted to do so to show your support.

Thank you and we look forward to saying hello tomorrow morning. Please keep in mind, the officers are only set up to accept U.S. currency tomorrow morning.  Every donation counts, so let’s do this as a community.

 

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Traffic alert: Interstate 75 accidents at South Marietta Parkway close all southbound lanes

Interstate 75 accidents
Georgia DOT camera photo, shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Shortly before 4 p.m. today, Marietta Police said that multiple Interstate 75 accidents just south of the South Marietta Parkway have caused the closing of all five southbound lanes of traffic.Marietta Police, Delk Road motel shooting

One northbound lane is also blocked in the same area.

Police said there have been four individual accidents involving five vehicles and a tractor-trailer, which jacknifed.

There is no word on injuries as of now.

The Georgia State Patrol is working the scene with Marietta and Cobb police officers, and the estimated time of clearing all lanes is around 6 p.m.

A heavy rain shower passed through Marietta and East Cobb around 3:30 p.m. as most of metro Atlanta and much of north Georgia remains under a flash flood watch until 8 a.m. Wednesday.

 

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UPDATE: East Cobb autistic man missing from foster home has been found

Shortly after 7 p.m., Marietta Police issued this update:

Two Public Safety Ambassadors observed Angelo walking on Cobb Pkwy near EMC Parkway – nearly four miles from his home. Angelo is being returned to his foster family now!

ORIGINAL STORY POSTED, 6:33 P.M.:

Back in March, a young man with autism living in the Sandy Plains Road and Scufflegrit Road area went missing, and he was discovered with a police request for the public’s help.

Angelo Michael Messineo, East Cobb autistic man
Angelo Michael Messineo

The same young man went missing again on Thursday, and Marietta Police want your assistance if you’ve seen him or know where he may be.

Angelo Messineo, 21, wandered away from his foster home at 1521 Evanston Court around 5 p.m. Thursday, according to Marietta Police.

They say he was last seen wearing a blue sweater with a white undershirt and brown khaki pants.

Police also said Messineo starts clapping his hands loudly when he becomes upset, does not remember numbers and may not know how to get back home.

The area around the foster home is being searched by police and fire crews, and police said anyone should call 911 with information on Messineo’s whereabouts.

 

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BREAKING NEWS: Second suspect in Bells Ferry Road murder arrested

Updating a story from a couple of weeks ago: Marietta Police say they have taken into custody a second suspect wanted for a Bells Ferry Road murder last month.Marietta Police, Delk Road motel shooting

Marietta Police said their detectives and the FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force arrested Je’Marquise Wright, 17, in connection with the murder of 19-year-old Tyon Gorman.

Gorman was found lying in front of businesses at a small strip shopping center on Bells Ferry Road at Williams Drive with a gunshot wound, according to police, who said a vehicle left the area after the shooting and was heading north on Bells Ferry Road.

Police said Gorman died at WellStar Kennestone Hospital, and Mehki Hilali, 18, was arrested on May 3 and charged with murder, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and aggravated assault with intent to murder.

Police had asked for the public’s help in finding Wright, who is charged with murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault with intent to murder and street gang terrorism.

He is being held without bail, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, which indicated that Wright was apprehended at 2121 Windy Hill Road, the address for an apartment complex, and booking began around 3 p.m. today.

Marietta Police said they found “multiple weapons and narcotics” in Wright’s possession when he was arrested, and that additional charges are pending.

Marietta Police said they have made all the arrests they expect to make in the case but that anyone with information should call their detectives line directly at 770-794-6990 or contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS if they wish to remain anonymous.

 

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Man arrested after trying to purchase a child at an East Cobb Kroger store

An East Cobb man has been arrested and charged with criminal solicitation of a child after attempting to purchase a 7-year-old girl from an East Cobb Kroger store on Monday, Cobb Police said.Cobb Police

Einodd Samimi, 62 or 63 years old, is in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, charged with felony counts of criminal solicitation and enticing a child, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office information.

Cobb Police said a woman and her granddaughter were at the Kroger store at 2100 Roswell Road, in the Pavilions at East Lake Shopping Center, around 7 p.m. Monday, when the grandmother said she noticed a man following them.

She said the man was making “inappropriate comments” and offered to buy the child for $200, police said.

According to Cobb Police, “the grandmother confronted the male when he asked to purchase her granddaughter at the Kroger, and a ‘large crowd’ of shoppers chased the male through the store and to his vehicle.”

Police added that detectives arrested Samimi at his home. The place of arrest noted by the Cobb Sheriff’s Office is on Coventry Township Place, located off Barnes Mill Road, near the Kroger.

Samimi, who was born in Iran, is being held on $20,000 bond, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Police said the grandmother also told them the same man previously had offered her $100 for the child at a Wal-Mart on Cobb Parkway.

Cobb Police said they’re continuing to investigate and anyone with information is asked to contact the Cobb County Crimes Against Children unit at 770-801-3470.

The arrest of Samimi was announced as Cobb Police also said they have arrested a man who allegedly tried to kidnap an 11-year-old girl in a public restroom at Town Center Mall on Tuesday.

Police said the suspect came out of a stall and threatened the girl with a knife while her father waited for her outside the restroom.

Police said the girl screamed and escaped, and the suspect was chased down by mall patrons in a food court before being caught.

Cobb Police say they’re looking for witnesses with information about a female whom they think was involved in the incident, but who got away.

Police say the woman may be of Middle Eastern descent in her 30s. Anyone with information, or who may have taken videos or photos should contact the Crimes Against Children unit at 770-801-3487 or by e-mailing CobbSVU@cobbcounty.org.

Danzel Mitchell, 26, is being held at the Cobb jail without bond, and is charged with aggravated assault, attempted kidnapping, cruelty to children in the first degree and false imprisonment.

 

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Northeast Cobb man sentenced to life in prison for stabbing his wife to death

A Northeast Cobb man has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to killing his wife last year, the Cobb District Attorney’s Office said. Donny Eaton, Northeast Cobb man sentenced

Donny Eaton, 65, entered the plea on Monday, when jury selection for his trial was expected to begin. The negotiated deal was accepted by Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley, who handed down the sentence.

He was charged with malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Eaton was arrested on April 4, 2017 after Roxane Tenore Eaton, 66, was found with what the Cobb DA said were “countless” stab wounds about her face and neck at their home on Liberty Hill Road.

According to the DA’s office, Eaton initially cut her throat with a pocket knife. Tenore Eaton had purchased a home in Florida where she wanted the couple to live to be closer to family, but he was opposed to the move.

After the stabbings, Eaton visited his mother’s grave in Floyd County, and confessed to emergency dispatchers there that he had stabbed his wife, the Cobb DA said. A welfare check was made at the Eaton home, where Tenore Eaton was found, and he turned himself into the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, according to the Cobb DA.

“Donny Eaton took the life of his wife in a gruesome manner, with it appearing that he was attempting to decapitate her, all because she wanted to be closer to her children and grandchildren in Florida to live out the remainder of their lives,” Cobb senior assistant district attorney Patricia Hull said in a statement. “Donny Eaton refused to leave their home in Georgia. If he couldn’t have her here with him in Georgia, he didn’t want her children to have her, either.”

 

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Cobb Police issue Mattie’s Call for man missing from Northeast Cobb group home

Jaden Thornton, Cobb Police Mattie's Call

Cobb Police have issued a Mattie’s Call for a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome who went missing last week from a group home in the Northeast Cobb area.

His name is Jaden Thornton, and he was last seen on Thursday at 576 Hawkins Store Road, after walking away from a group home, according to Cobb Police.

Police said Thornton is bi-polar and has an IQ between 65-71. Police said he was last seen wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, light grey shorts and brown Adidas shoes.

Cobb Police said if he is located to contact them at 770-499-3911.

 

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Bells Ferry Road murder suspect arrested; police seeking another man

Jemarquis Wright, Bells Ferry Road murder suspect
Marietta Police are looking for Je’marquis Wright 

An update to a shooting on Bells Ferry Road last Friday that left a man dead: One suspect has been taken in to custody, and police are looking for another man they’re saying is “wanted for questioning.”

Marietta Police said Thursday afternoon that Mehki Hilali, 18, has been charged with murder, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and aggravated assault with intent to murder.

Tyon Demeko Gorman, 19, was found shot at a small strip shopping center on Bells Ferry near Williams Drive and later died at a hospital, according to police. They said that a white vehicle with a rear spoiler was seen leaving the area after the shooting and was heading north on Bells Ferry Road.

According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, Hilali has a Dallas, Ga., address, and was booked in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center Wednesday night and is being held without bond.

Police also have released the accompanying photo of another man, Je’marquis Wright, 17, (shown above), who is wanted for questioning about the shooting.

Marietta Police said anyone with information is asked to call their detectives line directly at 770-794-6990) or contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS if they wish to remain anonymous.

 

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2 killed in Powers Ferry Road accident Sunday afternoon

Powers Ferry Road accident, April 29 2018
via OpenStreetMap

The drivers of two vehicles that collided in a Powers Ferry Road accident on Sunday were killed, Cobb Police said.

Ryan Michalski, 31, and Miraylla Sousa, 23, both of East Cobb-area addresses, died after being taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, Cobb Police Officer Sarah O’Hara said.

O’Hara said the crash took place at 4:10 p.m. Sunday on Powers Ferry Road, at Meadowbrook Lane, when a black 2006 Ford Fusion driven by Michalski collided with a white 2013 Kia Optima driven by Sousa.

The intersection is just south of Powers Ferry and the South Marietta Parkway, and just north of Powers Ferry Elementary School.

Police said the Ford was traveling northbound on Powers Ferry when it veered into the southbound lane and into the path of the Kia. O’Hara said witnesses told police the Ford had been speeding and passed other vehicles in the center turn lane before the crash.

The Ford caught fire and was heavily damaged in the collision and landed on a shoulder, while the Kia came to a stop in the intersection, O’Hara said.

She said the accident remains under investigation and that anyone with information should call the Cobb County Police Department’s STEP Unit at 770-499-3987.

 

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