East Cobb Public Safety

Vehicle break-ins down in Cobb Police Precinct 4; ‘9 p. m. Reminder’ program begins

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The latest Cobb Police Precinct 4 crime statistics reveal some good news about burglaries and car break-ins.

In its monthly PENs notification message for July, Precinct 4 officers said that 32 residential burglaries have been reported since May, down 43 percent from this time a year ago.

Vehicle break-ins are also down a bit, from 107 from May-July 2017 to 101 this summer.

What police are continuing to encourage you to do, as they always do, is keep your vehicles locked at all times.

In recent weeks the department has been issuing social media reminders to lock up and stay safe, whether at home or in your car.

Cobb Police are calling this the #9pmReminder. Each evening at this time, the messages go out on their social media accounts for you to do the following:

  • Lock all doors (even back doors and porch doors)
  • Leave exterior lights on (they deter loitering and burglars)
  • Pull your car in the garage, if possible, and remove your valuables, LOCK, and CLOSE the garage door (just because your car is in a garage, doesn’t mean it is secure).
  • Bring all items of value indoors (lawn decorations, toys, etc.).
  • Bring in mail (it has your information on it and is sought by those who want to steal your identity).
  • Set your alarms before bed (burglars do not like audible alarms).

You can follow Cobb Police for these and other messages on their social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor.

 

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Man who robbed sailor and left him naked near Bells Ferry Road gets 25-year sentence

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An Atlanta man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for robbing a Navy sailor after an evening at a Marietta nightclub two years ago, pistol-whipping him and leaving him naked near Bells Ferry Road.Cortlyn Javon Martin, man who robbed sailor in Cobb

Cortlyn Javon Martin, 26, was convicted by a Cobb jury in June of armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony.

On Thursday, he was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Lark Ingram.

Martin was a patron at the Club Rio, near the South Marietta Parkway and Franklin Gateway, on June 18, 2016, when he left the club with the sailor and other men by car, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s office.

The sailor was driving when Martin, sitting in the back seat, began pistol-whipping him, the DA’s office said, adding that Martin robbed the driver after forcing him to withdraw $500 from a bank ATM in Kennesaw.

The DA’s office said Martin then forced the victim to strip naked, and left him near Bells Ferry Road.

Martin, who was arrested two months after the incident, will be credited for the two years he has been in custody, according to the DA’s office.

“This defendant preyed upon an active-duty military member who was visiting Georgia for the first time on military leave,” assistant Cobb district attorney Kaitlin Southmayd said in a statement. “We are thankful for our victim’s service to his country and his willingness to tell his terrifying account to the jury.”

 

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East Cobb teenage girl who fell out of moving car has died; driver charged with vehicular homicide

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Alyssa Prindle, East Cobb teenage girl
Alyssa Prindle had recently graduated from Pope High School.

An East Cobb teenage girl who fell out of a moving car on Johnson Ferry Road earlier this month has died, and an arrest warrant has been issued for the driver.

Cobb Police Officer Sarah O’Hara said in a release this morning that Alyssa Prindle, 18, who suffered serious injuries in the incident, died Wednesday at WellStar Kennestone Hospital.

O’Hara said that the Cobb County Magistrate has issued an arrest warrant for Abigail Cook, 17, also of East Cobb, for 1st degree vehicular homicide.

According to police, Cook was driving a silver 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe northbound on Johnson Ferry Road near Sewell Mill Road around 2 a.m. on July 5 when Prindle, a backseat passenger, rolled down a window and began hanging out of the vehicle.

Police said Prindle was yelling and screaming and then fell out of the Hyundai. She was taken to Kennestone and placed in ICU, and O’Hara said this morning that she never left the hospital before dying of her injuries.

Cook was booked in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center and charged with DUI, reckless driving, serious injury by vehicle (a felony), underage possession of alcohol, possession of false identification and a violation of class D drivers license hour restrictions. She later bonded out of jail, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.

A GoFundMe page had been set up by Prindle’s family to pay for medical expenses, but a message posted there Thursday announced that Prindle, a Pope High School graduate, “lost her fight. Her body just couldn’t keep going. There were too many injuries, and the doctors just couldn’t do anything else for her.”

The message continued:

“Please pray for our family as we go through a difficult next few days together.

“Her parents are Todd and Julie, and her 15-yr old brothers are Kyler and Bailey. We would love for you to be praying for them by name, as well as her extended family.”

 

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Motorist suffers serious injuries in weekend Powers Ferry Road crash

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Cobb Police said a 68-year-old woman suffered serious injuries Saturday afternoon in a Powers Ferry Road crash.Cobb Police, Powers Ferry Road crash

Public Information Officer Sarah O’Hara said in a statement issued Monday that Lynda Phillips of Marietta was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital after the incident.

O’Hara said Phillips was driving a gray 2007 Saturn VUE northbound on Powers Ferry Road, north of Windy Hill Road, around 3:18 p.m. Saturday when the she lost control of the vehicle.

The Saturn crashed into a curb, then hit a retaining wall, according to police. O’Hara said a medical emergency may have caused the crash, but police are continuing to investigate.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cobb County Police Department’s STEP Unit at 770-499-3987.

 

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UPDATED: Cobb jail inmate who escapes work detail at Fullers Park captured, arrested

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Christopher Shane Pruitt, Cobb jail inmate escapes

UPDATED, 8:40 P.M. THURSDAY

The Cobb Sheriff’s Office said Pruitt has been captured and arrested.

The sheriff’s office and Cobb Police responded to a suspicious person call at a residence at 1631 Wildwood Road, located between Roswell Road and the North Marietta Parkway.

Pruitt was identified by both law enforcement agencies and was taken to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, where he had been incarcerated since May for a probation violation, the Cobb Sheriff’s Office said.

ORIGINAL REPORT, POSTED 4:24 P.M.:

Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren said a county jail inmate escaped a work detail at Fullers Park today.

He said Christopher Shane Pruitt walked away from a cleanup at Fullers Park on Robinson Road in East Cobb around 11 a.m.

Pruitt is incarcerated for a probation violation after an original charge of theft by taking of a motor vehicle.

Warren said Pruitt is a white male, 47 years old, about 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds.

Pruitt was last seen in a white shirt and pants with a blue stripe on his pants leg. The back of the shirt says “COBB COUNTY PRISONER.”

Warren said he’s not considered an immediate danger to the public, but if you see him do not approach him. Instead, call the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office at 770-499-4639.

 

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UPDATE: Suspect arrested in vandalisms that include Noonday Baptist Church

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Noonday Baptist Church vandalism, Cobb police

UPDATED, July 11, 12 p.m.

Cobb Police said today they have arrested Clint Vance, 32, of Kennesaw, on three charges of vandalism to a place of worship. Those are felony offenses, and police said investigators expect more charges to be filed in Cobb and Cherokee counties.

Vance was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center shortly after midnight Wednesday, according to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, which said Vance’s bail has been set at $8,470.

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.

ORIGINAL REPORT, POSTED July 10, 7:08 p.m.

Cobb Police on Tuesday said they’re expanding their investigation into a series of recent church vandalisms that includes Noonday Baptist Church in Northeast Cobb.

Police announced on June 18 they were looking for a lone male suspect, between the ages of 35 and 50, and believed he was driving a Hyundai Elantra.

In a release issued late Tuesday afternoon by Cobb Police, Public Information Officer Sarah O’Hara said police are also investigating that a Honda Accord “or [a] like-styled four-door sedan” may be the suspect vehicle.

A photo at Noonday was taken by a church surveillance camera on May 8, shortly after 3 a.m., and shows a male standing on a sidewalk near the church entrance and next to a vehicle with the driver door open.

However, O’Hara said, police have been unable to identify the color of the car because of the black and white footage.

Cobb Police said last month that a male suspect they believed to be working along spray-painted “vulgar” and offensive messages on churches, including satanic messages and “what can best be described as sacrilegious symbols to include crosses with circles around them and lines striking through them.”

O’Hara said police believe the vandalisms took place from April 29 to June 1, and said that the Church of Christ at North Cobb, on Shiloh Road in Kennesaw, has been vandalized three times. She said “satanic messages and offensive language” were spray painted there, and that a private residence also is included in the investigation.

Police said the suspect is partially balding with brown hair, and weighing between 230 to 280 pounds. He is approximately between 5-foot-10 and 6-foot-2 and has a “distinctive gait” that was spotted on the security footage.

O’Hara said anyone with information about the vandalisms is asked to call the Criminal Investigation Unit of Cobb Police Precinct 1 at 770-590-5769.

More East Cobb public safety news

 

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East Cobb teenager in ICU after falling out of moving car; another teen jailed for DUI, other charges

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An East Cobb teenager was admitted to the intensive care unit at WellStar Kennestone Hospital after she fell out of a moving car on Johnson Ferry Road early Thursday morning.Cobb Police, East Cobb teenager,

Another teen was arrested and charged with DUI and other offenses stemming from the incident. Cobb Police said it took place shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday on Johnson Ferry, south of Sewell Mill Road.

Cobb Police spokeswoman Sarah O’Hara said a driver and two passengers were traveling in a silver 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe northbound on Johnson Ferry. One of the passengers, sitting in a rear seat, rolled down a window and began hanging out of it, “yelling and screaming,” according to police.

The passenger, identified by O’Hara as Alyssa Prindle, 18, of an East Cobb address, fell out of the window and hit the road, suffering serious injuries. She was taken to Kennestone, and the driver of the car, Abigail Cook, 17, of Wood Thrush Way in East Cobb, was arrested and booked in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, O’Hara said.

Cook is charged with underage DUI, reckless driving, serious injury by vehicle (a felony), underage possession of alcohol, possession of false identification and a violation of class D drivers license hour restrictions.

According to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, Cook was released Thursday night on a $27,720 bond.

O’Hara said underage alcohol consumption is a contributing factor in the incident, which remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cobb County Police Department’s STEP Unit at 770-499-3987.

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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Updated: Fireworks can be discharged in Cobb until midnight July 3 and July 4

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Not long ago we shared information about Cobb fireworks safety from the Cobb Fire Department for the July 4 holiday.Cobb Fire Department fireworks safety reminder

CFD has issued an update, in regards to county noise ordinance that was passed a year ago. The revised ordinance bans fireworks after 9 p.m., with several exceptions, including the July 4 holiday.

Cobb Police have added some additional information this afternoon, saying that the allowable fireworks discharge periods are from 7 a.m. to midnight, Tuesday July 3, and Wednesday July 4.

Police say you cannot shoot firearms in the air (“celebratory gunfire”) at any time, even if no one is injured, and you’ll be subject to arrest for reckless conduct if you do. You’re also prohibited from discharging fireworks while traveling on any roads.

The usual 9 p.m. fireworks prohibition will resume on Thursday, July 5 and continues into the Labor Day holiday weekend.

CFD also issued this 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.”

If you’d prefer to take in the fireworks in public venues, there are celebrations starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Fifth Third Bank near the Kennesaw State University campus, and Glover Park on the Marietta Square around 9:30 p.m.

The Marietta celebrations go on all day, starting with a parade at 10 a.m. and concerts, arts and crafts, food, games and more.

 

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Georgia hands free law starts Sunday; Cobb Police to issue warnings in July

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What follows is a final rundown of what you can and can’t do with a mobile device in your vehicle, as the Georgia hands free law goes into effect Sunday, July 1.Georgia Hands Free law

We noted earlier that there wasn’t going to be a grace period for enforcement of HB 673, but Cobb Police are saying they’ll be issuing warnings for the first 30 days (unless you cause an accident), with official citations starting on Aug. 1.

Police still want you to start following the law on Sunday, and this is explained in further detail near the bottom. Here’s a link to a PSA video from Cobb and Marietta police. The full law can be found at gahighwaysafety.org:

  • A driver cannot have a phone in their hand or use any part of their body to support their phone. Drivers can only use their phones to make or receive phone calls by using speakerphone, earpiece, wireless headphone, phone is connected to vehicle or an electronic watch. GPS navigation devices are allowed;
  • Headsets and earpieces can only be worn for communication purposes and not for listening to music or other entertainment;
  • A driver may not send or read any text-based communication unless using voice-based communication that automatically converts message to a written text or is being used for navigation or GPS;
  • A driver may not write, send or read any text messages, e-mails, social media or internet data content;
  • A driver may not watch a video unless it is for navigation;
  • A driver may not record a video (continuously running dash cams are exempt);
  • Music streaming apps can be used provided the driver activates and programs them when they are parked. Drivers cannot touch their phones to do anything to their music apps when they are on the road. Music streaming apps that include video also are not allowed since drivers cannot watch videos when on the road. Drivers can listen to and program music streaming apps that are connected to and controlled through their vehicle’s radio.

Exceptions to the law are as follows:

  1. Reporting a traffic crash, medical emergency, fire, criminal activity or hazardous road conditions;
  2. An employee or contractor of a utility service provider acting within the scope of their employment while responding to a utility emergency;
  3. A first responder (law enforcement, fire, EMS) during the performance of their official duties;
  4. When in a lawfully parked vehicle—this DOES NOT include vehicles stopped for traffic signals and stop signs on the public roadway.

Commercial motor vehicle operators

  1. Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators can only use one button to begin or end a phone call;
  2. Cannot reach for a wireless telecommunications device or stand-alone electronic device that it no longer requires the driver to be a seated position or properly restrained by a safety belt.

School bus drivers

  1. The driver of a school bus cannot use a wireless telecommunication device or two-way radio while loading or unloading passengers;
  2. The driver can only use a wireless telecommunication device while the bus is in motion as a two-way radio to allow live communications between the driver and school and public safety officials.

Cobb police enforcement
Again, the law goes into effect July 1st, but in an effort to educate the public, the Cobb County Police Department will be providing verbal or written warning citations for the first 30 days. However, if the violation involves a traffic crash, a citation may be issued.

Effective August 1st, 2018, officers may begin writing real citations. Each jurisdiction may have their own policy for when they begin enforcement, so I would suggest that you begin adhering to the law on July 1st.

What would the fines/penalties be?

  • First conviction: $50, one point on a license;
  • Second conviction: $100, two points on a license;
  • Third and subsequent convictions: $150, three points on a license.

On Friday Cobb Police issued this PSA reminder that’s about a minute long:

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Cobb Police officer charged with assault has resigned

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This just in from Cobb Police: Officer Robert New, a Precinct 4 patrol officer charged last week with aggravated assault and criminal solicitation, has resigned. Cobb Police officer resigns

Cobb Police said in a release issued at 6:11 p.m. Monday that New’s resignation is effective immediately.

There was no other information provided by Cobb Police, who were conducting what Chief Mike Register said last week was an administrative complaint filed against him.

New remains in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center without bond, and is scheduled to have a bond hearing on July 10.

New was in his second stint serving in East Cobb’s Precinct 4 when he was arrested last week for aggravated assault and simple battery during a sexual encounter with a 44-year-old woman.

Police determined the woman, who said New had slapped her face and choked her, had the mental capacity of a 10-to-14-year-old.

Register said at a press conference last Monday that the department was acting “with the intent to reach a timely decision” about New’s employment status and said he had been placed on administrative leave without pay.

On Wednesday, police filed additional charges against New, of criminal solicitation and child pornography by use of wireless internet, involving a 12-year-old girl.

New started with Cobb Police in Precinct 4 in 2005 and served on the department’s DUI task force before returning to Precinct 4.

 

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Woman charged with vehicular homicide in fatal East Cobb crash

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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