Marietta Police say a 19-year-old man was shot at a gas station and convenience store at 1750 Bells Ferry Road and Williams Drive Friday, and later died. (Marietta Police photo)
Marietta Police say a Bells Ferry Road shooting on Friday night has left a 19-year-old man dead, and that they’re searching for a vehicle that left the scene.
Tyon Demeko Gorman, 19, died after being transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, police said.
Police said that a white vehicle with a rear spoiler was seen leaving the area and was heading north on Bells Ferry Road.
Police said officers were called to a small strip shopping center at 1750 Bells Ferry Road, just north of Interstate 75, at 6:22 p.m., and found that a black male had suffered at least one gunshot wound.
He was lying on the ground in front of the businesses when police, Marietta Fire and Metro Ambulance units responded, Marietta Police said.
Marietta Police said they had no other details available, but that anyone with information is asked to call contact Detective Mark Erion at 770-794-6990.
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An unidentified person has been taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital Friday evening after a Bells Ferry Road shooting, according to Marietta Police.
Police said officers were called to 1750 Bells Ferry Road, just north of Interstate 75, at 6:22 p.m., and that someone had been rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound.
Police have not released information about that individual’s condition or more details about the shooting.
A number of apartment complexes and small business are located around the scene of the shooting, and it’s also near the intersection of Bells Ferry Road and Williams Drive.
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Cobb Police Precinct 4 has lost its criminal investigations leader but his successor has local ties.
Lt. Nathan McCreary is the new commander of the East Cobb precinct’s criminal investigations unit. He’s a Walton High School graduate and also attended Dickerson Middle School.
He succeeds Brian Kitchens, who been promoted from lieutenant to captain and is now the assistant commander in Precinct 2 in South Cobb.
McCreary, an Air Force veteran and graduate of Kennesaw State University, will mark his 20th year as a member of Cobb Police next month.
He has served in a number of capacities with Cobb Police, and for the last two years he has served as the Precinct 4 morning watch commander.
McCreary also spent five years in media relations and is a crisis negotiator.
In the most recent statistics, a total of 340 break-ins have been reported in the county since March 1, 29 of them in Precinct 4.
Here’s what police are saying about all this, and what break-in thieves are looking for:
“There are two main areas where these entering autos occur. Most occurrences happen at the victim’s residence as the vehicle is parked in a driveway. These cases are usually crimes of opportunity committed by ‘door flippers.’ Basically, a group of criminals enter a subdivision overnight and walk through the neighborhood flipping door handles to see if a vehicle is unlocked. If it is locked, they move on. Of course, if the vehicle is unlocked, the criminals ransack the interior and collect any items of value. These thieves are looking for cash, electronics, credit cards, and guns.
“The other location these entering autos are occurring is fitness centers. Criminals are often savvy and know most people don’t like bringing valuables into a gym for fear of having their valuables lost or stolen. Therefore, many leave their valuables in the cab of their vehicles. This is a prime location for thieves to target. A quick smashed window and the criminals have access to purses, wallets, laptops, etc.”
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Marietta Police said this morning that a four-year-old girl is in stable condition after an accident on Interstate 75 near Allgood Road.
Police said the accident was caused by a tire blowing out on a vehicle traveling northbound on the interstate. The vehicle lost control and rolled over, ejecting the child, according to police.
Three right lanes of northbound traffic on I-75 were closed until after 11 a.m., and police said additional closures may be necessary as they continue their investigation into the accident.
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Marietta Police say a 20-year-old woman living in the Delk Road-Bentley Road area has gone missing from her home.
Shortly after 8 p.m. tonight they issued this photo and the following information about Hadiya Barr, and what do you if you’ve seen her or have information about her whereabouts:
She is 5′ 7″ tall with a slender build. She walked out of the family home near the intersection of Delk Road and Bentley Road yesterday afternoon. When she left, she did not take any belongings and does not have friends in the area she could turn to for help.
Please contact Detective Sheffield if you have any information about her or where she may be staying at: dsheffield@mariettaga.gov or (770) 794-5345.
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East Cobb News reader photo from the accident scene on Johnson Ferry Road at Lake Rill Court.
UPDATED, Tuesday, March 27, 11 A.M.: Cobb Police said this morning the motorcyclist in Monday’s Johnson Ferry Road accident has died. He has been identified as Alexander Seidnitzer, age 18, of East Cobb.
Police said Seidnitzer was traveling southbound on Johnson Ferry Road on a gray 2015 Yamaha FZ07 motorcycle when it collided with a lawn service truck at the intersection of Lake Rill Court.
The truck, driven by Joshua Peavy, 27, of Smyrna, was attempting to turn left from Lake Rill Court onto Johnson Ferry Road northbound when the accident occurred, police said.
Seidnitzer died after being transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, according to police, who said Peavy was not injured.
Police said they do not anticipate filing charges in the accident, which is still under investigation.
Family members said Seidnitzer was aiming to be a chef and attend culinary school (see comments below).
UPDATED, 1:50 P.M. Monday
Officer Wayne Delk of the Cobb County Police Department said a motorcyclist collided with a landscaping truck at the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Lake Rill Court late Monday morning.
The motorcyclist, who was not identified, was taken by ambulance from the accident scene with life-threatening injuries, Delk said. The accident occurred shortly before 10 a.m.
All northbound lanes of Johnson Ferry Road were closed between Roswell Road and Bishop Lake Road while the accident was being investigated, according to police, and only one southbound lane of Johnson Ferry was open during that time. All traffic lanes reopened around 1:40 p.m., Cobb Police said.
Delk said initial information from the accident scene indicates that the motorcyclist may be at fault.
We have received photos from a reader, including above, who was caught in the traffic jam, and who also told us this:
” . . . really sad, it was a young person on the blue motorcycle and the man driving the Arbornomics truck was so distraught and crying by the side of the road.”
We’ve also received dashcam footage from Mohamad Zakaria, who was traveling southbound on Johnson Ferry when the motorcyclist zoomed past him. Zakaria, who was heading to classes at Georgia Perimeter College, was traveling around 45 mph, the posted local speed limit.
ORIGINAL POST, 11:49 A.M. Monday
Cobb DOT is asking motorists to consider an alternative to using Johnson Ferry Road at Lake Rill Court, just north of Roswell Road, due to an accident that’s causing heavy delays.
The accident is affecting traffic in both north and southbound lanes, but that’s all the information that’s available for now.
UPDATED, 1:14 P.M.: Johnson Ferry Road traffic at that intersection is shut down until at least 2 p.m.
Lake Rill Court is the entrance to a neighborhood on the same side of Johnson Ferry as the Sunrise at East Cobb senior living facility, and just a little north of it.
We’ll update this story when we get more information.
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Here’s a missing persons story with a happy ending: Marietta Police put out an alert Sunday afternoon for Angelo Michael Messineo, a 21-year-old man from East Cobb with autism, after he disappeared from his home on Evanston Court, off Scufflegrit Road and near Sandy Plains Road.
He’s a mid-to-low functioning adult, and he went missing right as rainy weather approached, and with a wet evening forecast overnight Sunday. A Mattie’s Call was issued and multiple law enforcement agencies were dispatched.
Marietta PD said around 8 a.m. today that Messineo had been found safely at Merritt Park, more than three miles from his home, and he’s been returned to his family.
They got assistance from the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, which used bloodhounds to search, as well as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Also helping in the search were the Marietta Fire Department, Cobb Fire Department, Cobb Police, Cherokee Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia State Patrol.
The case was solved by an individual, as Marietta PD posted:
“Special kudos go to the local resident who called 911 this morning and stated they saw someone walking near Merritt Park that resembled Angelo’s description. Had it not been for the way this community worked together, Angelo might still be missing and vulnerable.”
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An East Cobb man arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of a child is one of 76 people rounded up in Georgia and seven other Southeastern states this week in a sweeping investigation conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other state, local and federal agencies.
Andrew C. Orr, 34, was arrested by Cobb Police Wednesday and taken to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, according to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, which listed his address as being on Creekstone Way in Indian Hills.
Orr is identified by the GBI as a part-time freighter.
Cobb Sheriff’s Office records indicate that Orr has been charged with one felony count of sexual exploitation of a child, and one felony count of using a computer service to entice a child to commit an illegal act, and that he was released Thursday after posting a $25,000 bond.
In a press release, the GBI said 13 children were rescued or identified as victims of child exploitation as a result of the investigation.
A warrant was issued for Orr’s arrest as Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces in Georgia and other states conducted “Operation Southern Impact II.” It’s a four-month investigation of allegations of possession and distribution of child pornography and sexual exploitation of children using the Internet.
A total of 34 people were arrested in Georgia, and those charged in all range in age from 17 to 72, the GBI said. Cobb and Marietta police were among the more than 200 law enforcement agencies participating in the investigation in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The GBI said more arrests are likely.
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Late this afternoon Cobb Police released a sketch of a man they say impersonated a law enforcement officer last week and pulled over a female motorist before raping her.
Cobb Police said a white male dressed as an officer and driving a vehicle with a light bar on top stopped another vehicle on Terrell Mill Road near Paper Mill Road early Friday morning. When the suspect asked for the woman’s driver’s license, police said he sexually assaulted her (previous East Cobb Newspost here).
It is unclear if the suspect is the same man who pulled over a female motorist in the city of Atlanta and raped her a few hours before the Cobb County attack. The sketch below was issued about the same time on Wednesday, around 5 p.m. by Atlanta Police.
Both sketches were created by a sketch artist with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, working off descriptions and information provided by the victims. Atlanta and Cobb Police are continuing to investigate the case jointly.
The suspect is believed to be a white male, around six feet tall, and is around 30 years old. He also is described as wearing clothing and gear similar to law enforcement, but that does not correspond with any local police or public safety agency. Police said the man also was wearing a police duty belt with a gun, Taser and radio.
Police urged motorists, especially female drivers, to exercise caution and safety when being pulled over, including stopping in a public, well-lit area and calling 911 if necessary to verify the identity of the officer.
Cobb Police said anyone with information about the Terrell Mill Road rape case should call the Crimes Against Persons Unit at 770-499-4111 or email: cobbpolicecrimetips@cobbcounty.org.
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The Cobb Police Department says a man impersonating a police officer pulled over a female motorist on Terrell Mill Road early Friday and sexually assaulted her.
According to a release issued by Cobb Police on Friday evening, the victim said she stopped her car on Terrell Mill Road near Paper Mill Road around 4:45 a.m. Friday after being pursued by what she thought was a police officer.
Instead, police said, she was raped by a male who told her he was a police officer and asked for her driver’s license. He began patting her down for her ID, then groped and sexually assaulted her as she sat in her seat, according to police.
Police said the suspect stopped and let her leave the scene, but he was not an officer. Police said they were unsure what kind of vehicle he was driving, but it had a light bar on top, similar to a police car.
The suspect is described as a white man, around six feet tall with an average build. He is approximately 30 years old and is unshaven with short, dark brown hair worn in a buzz cut and has a square-shaped head.
Police said he was wearing a dark jacket with a light blue emblem or something inscribed on it, a black vest with a star-shaped gold blade and three service bars. He also was wearing dark pants, a tan collared uniform shirt with a gold emblem and a white t-shirt under the uniform shirt. Police said this does not fit the uniform description of any Cobb law enforcement agency.
Police said the suspect also was wearing a police duty belt with a gun, Taser and radio.
Cobb Police are asking the public to observe to the following practices when pulled over for a traffic stop:
Pull over in a public area;
Find a well-lit area so the officer can see the motorist and vice-versa. Turn on hazard lights, slow down, and find the best location available to pull over;
Motorists do not have to roll their windows all the way down in order to speak to an officer or give an officer their driver’s licenses and proof of insurance (but the license and proof of insurance are required to be handed over if an officer asks for them);
Motorists can call 911 and make sure they are being pulled over by an actual officer (if they are unsure due to darkness or the car not being easily recognized as a marked patrol vehicle) while driving slowly with hazard lights on;
If motorists suspect an individual is not an actual officer, they can call 911 immediately and provide a location and a description of the suspect and suspect vehicle if visible. Stay on the phone with the 911 operator until an officer arrives to assist.
Anyone with information about the Terrell Mill Road incident should call the Cobb Police Crimes Against Persons Unit at 770-499-3945.
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Three men were arrested in a muddy area off Delk Road Thursday morning after eluding authorities following a traffic stop. (Marietta Police photo)
An early-morning Delk Road traffic stop Thursday became a rather eventful incident for Marietta Police Officer Bobby Wallace.
According to police, Wallace pulled over a white Fusion with three male occupants around 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of Delk and Franklin Gateway. When he approached the vehicle and asked the driver to step out, he smelled marijuana.
Wallace also sensed “odd” body language from the driver as he summoned backup help, according to police. When the additional officer arrived, the driver jumped back inside the car, and the officers tried to remove him, police said.
At that point, police said, Wallace ended up in the Fusion with the three suspects, who had trapped him inside and fled the scene, leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase. The other officer, Sgt. Brian Honea, had been knocked down in the chaos.
After weaving through rush-hour traffic, the Fusion ended up in the mud about a mile away from the stop, racing as fast as 71 mph at one point, according to Marietta Police, who said the suspects “wrestled” with the officer during the chase.
According to police, Wallace was able to close a car door during the ordeal to avoid falling out.
One of suspects got out of the car before the chase ended and was arrested on foot with the help of a K-9 team, according to police.
Marietta Police said they got help from Cobb Police and the Georgia State Patrol in apprehending the suspects, who are all from Massachusetts. They are identified as Cory Moody, the driver, and passengers Eyzaiya Moody and Walter Gadson Jr.
Formal charges against them are pending, but in addition to the initial traffic charges they are expected to include assault, obstruction, fleeing and eluding, kidnaping, and a felon in possession of a firearm. They were being booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center late Thursday afternoon, according to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office.
Police said the officers were not injured, and that handguns thrown out of the car during the chase also were recovered.
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Cobb Police Chief Mike Register speaks about the Ghostface Gangster indictments, with U.S. Attorney Byung Pak at far right.
Cobb County Police and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta announced Tuesday that 23 members of the “Ghostface Gangsters” criminal ring have been indicted on racketeering and other federal, state and local charges, including attempted murder, drug trafficking and wire fraud, as well as attacks on law enforcement.
A 21-count federal grand jury indictment against 23 defendants issued on Feb. 8 was revealed at Cobb Police headquarters in Marietta. Cobb and federal authorities say the Ghostface Gangsters originated in the Cobb County Jail in 2000 and their ranks grew in other state jails and prisons to include several thousand members over the years.
Nine members of the gang were charged with racketeering. Twenty defendants were already in custody when the indictments were announced, and several are from Cobb County.
The wide-ranging criminal activity the defendants are charged with include kidnapping, drug trafficking, attempted murder, witness tampering and a variety of firearms crimes.
“The recent federal indictments of this dangerous gang demonstrates how effective and important interagency collaboration is between federal, state, and local partners, and also demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement entities at every level to keep the communities across this nation as safe as possible,” Cobb police chief Mike Register said at Tuesday’s press briefing.
The racketeering defendants include Jeffrey Alan Bourassa, 35, of Cobb, a founder of the gang, who also is charged with kidnapping and maiming another gang member, as well as Kevin Scott Sosebee, 27, also of Cobb, charged with the attempted murder of a Cobb police officer.
Sosebee is charged with shooting at a Cobb police officer in December in Mableton after a traffic stop, and then fleeing the scene.
Another defendant, Victor Manuel Dejesus, is charged with a violent carjacking and attempted murder of a motorist in Smyrna in July 2016, and in fleeing that crime is alleged to have shot at a Cobb deputy sheriff who was in pursuit.
“The Ghostface Gangsters gang is very violent and their members will not hesitate to shoot at anyone,” said Byung J. “BJay” Pak, the U.S. Attorney in Atlanta. “We are partnering with local and state law enforcement agencies, including the Georgia Department of Corrections, to stop this criminal enterprise. If convicted, the defendants will be removed to federal facilities all across the United States.”
In addition to Cobb Police, Marietta Cobb Smyrna/Cobb Anti-Gang Enforcement (CAGE), the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, the Marietta Police Department and the Cobb District Attorney’s Office have been involved in the investigation, along with law enforcement agencies in north Georgia and Tennessee.
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The day after a mass shooting at a south Florida high school left at least 17 people dead, Cobb County School District superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the district would be re-evaluating safety protocols and continue plans to better prepare staff and students to respond to emergency situations.
At a Cobb Board of Education work session Thursday, Ragsdale updated board members on those efforts, including what he said would be unannounced code red drills to boost preparedness. He said those drills would be “absolutely uncomfortable” for people at the schools that are selected.
Those drills would serve as preparation for the most severe level of emergencies, including active shooter situations.
“Our student and staff safety is our top priority,” Ragsdale said during the lengthy discussion, which was not initially on the board’s agenda. The topic was added after he received e-mails from parents and students in wake of the Florida tragedy, the third-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.
Yesterday a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County walked into the building and began shooting with an AR-15 rifle.
The suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was taken into custody, and at least 14 other people are hospitalized. Some of the dead include teachers and coaches who shielded students from the gunfire.
Ragsdale said all of Cobb’s 112 schools are required to have at least one code red drill per semester. Principals underwent further training in safety protocols in January.
Ragsdale also said all classroom doors in school buildings are marked from the outside for first responders, and current Cobb Ed-SPLOST V funding has been earmarked to continue efforts to improve access control measures at elementary and middle schools.
“The message to our parents, students, staff, and community is that we are not just saying that safety is our top priority, we mean it,” Ragsdale said.
He later acknowledged that “there’s no way to put parents completely at ease.”
During the presentation, which included questions from board members, Ragsdale showed a video detailing an enhanced security alert system called AlertPoint, which is being demonstrated at two schools this year, including Bells Ferry Elementary School.
That system allows teachers and staff to trigger an alert for emergencies, similar to fire alarms.
Ragsdale said high schools pose the most challenging safety issues because they have multiple points of entry. Several Cobb high schools have “buzz in” requirements, already in place in elementary and middle schools but he did not identify those high schools.
After schools have code red drills, the district’s public safety department conducts an evaluation to provide feedback. Another new “suspicious persons” measure would have plain-clothes staffers from the Cobb schools police department enter a school and see how far they can go before being noticed.
Ragsdale said Cobb schools “are doing more” than any other school district in the state to improve safety.
While it’s “impossible” to completely prevent someone from coming in a school with an attack in mind, he said that “what we have to be able to answer is: Do we have in place all the options that we can possibly have to ensure the safety and security of our staff and students?”
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Cobb Police Precinct 4 officers say parking lots at gyms and fitness centers remain among the leading venues for car break-ins. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
Before doing a deep dive into East Cobb crime statistics, a Cobb Police captain reminded local business leaders this week of a simple preventive measure that’s not being taken enough to address a spike in one of the community’s recurring crime issues.
“People aren’t locking their doors.”
Not just their car doors, but also garage doors and residential entrances, leading to easy opportunities for burglary, theft and other offenses, according to Capt. Everett Cebula, the deputy commander of Precinct 4 in East Cobb.
On Tuesday, Cebula told attendees at an East Cobb Business Association breakfast that car break-ins—referred to on crime reports as “entering auto”—have gone up quite a bit in Precinct 4 since 2012, in residential communities, commercial areas and public venues like parks.
In 2012, there were 392 reported car break-ins in Precinct 4. That number jumped to 597 in 2016 and fell slightly slightly last year to 567 (see table at bottom).
Cebula said gym and fitness center parking lots are prime territory for thieves looking to plunder goods from vehicles, since patrons often leave valuables inside the car and in open view while they’re working out.
In a refrain to messages police routinely give during the holiday shopping season, he urged gym-goers to secure items even before they pull up into the parking lot.
“Take those items and put them in the trunk before you go into the gym,” he said.
Thefts also have gone up in Precinct 4 in the 2012-2017 reporting period. Burglaries—both residential and non-residential—also have gradually dropped since 2012, and more violent crimes, such as murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery, are fairly low in East Cobb compared to the rest of the county.
From left, Cobb Precinct 4 Capt. Everett Cebula, Lt. Brian Kitchens and Maj. Brian Batterton, the incoming commander. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
One measure police have been taking in recent years to crack down on car break-ins is the use of racketeering laws. That’s because they’ve noticed that these incidents are more frequently connected to larger criminal rings, or repeated activity by solo criminals.
If police can establish a criminal enterprise, they can go outside the county and track down break-in suspects and bring their activity into one case.
Lt. Brian Kitchens, the head of Precinct 4’s criminal investigations, said that last summer his unit was able to use what’s known as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law—or RICO—to pull together more than a dozen cases for landscaping theft. The suspect in those incidents, he said, is still in jail.
He said “RICO goes a step further” and enables the judicial system to toughen punishments for repeated crimes.
He said another suspect was getting probation for car break-ins committed in various jurisdictions, but the use of RICO revealed that he had 55 such arrests, and a few more cases have been added. That suspect, Kitchens said, was offered a 20-year sentence, with 13 to serve.
Kitchens, who headed up the creation of a car break-in task force by Cobb Police in 2015, said RICO can be used to address other crimes.
He said police are getting more reports of break-ins at businesses like eyeglass stores, women’s clothing boutiques and specialty shops.
“We can expand this to protecting your business,” Kitchens told the ECBA attendees.
The table below has been compiled from Cobb Police data. The first figure in each box is for Precinct 4, and figures in parenthesis are from all of Cobb County.
Precinct 4 includes most of East Cobb, ranging from the eastern side of Canton Road to the Windy Hill Road area in the Powers Ferry corridor.
Part 1 crimes are the most serious and violent offenses against people and property, according to federal Uniform Crime Reports guidelines. They include homicide, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, theft, auto theft and arson.
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Part 1 Crimes
1306 (8800)
1335 (8506)
1196 (8261)
1245 (8695)
1281 (8615)
1264 (8204)
Crimes Against Persons
78 (581)
59 (526)
72 (535)
102 (658)
99 (718)
74 (638)
Crimes Against Property
1228 (8219)
1276 (7980)
1124 (7726)
1143 (8037)
1182 (7897)
1190 (7566)
Homicide
2 (14)
4 (20)
3 (16)
3 (17)
2 (17)
2 (24)
Rape
19 (142)
14 (114)
16 (108)
23 (140)
21 (132)
20 (137)
Robbery
39 (405)
31 (409)
43 (392)
50 (428)
40 (449)
35 (397)
Agg. Assault
57 (425)
41 (392)
53 (411)
76 (501)
76 (569)
52 (480)
Res. Burglary
325 (2334)
365 (1992)
237 (1708)
209 (1694)
240 (1438)
226 (1176)
Non-Res. Burglary
127 (733)
113 (652)
105 (692)
118 (732)
87 (764)
90 (685)
Entering Auto
392 (2512)
422 (2723)
477 (3059)
279 (4062)
597 (3864)
567 (4070)
Theft
647 (3950)
665 (4100)
652 (3992)
659 (4216)
696 (4276)
730 (4359)
Vehicle Theft
90 (797)
102 (827)
87 (942)
107 967)
119 (970)
109 (949)
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A motorist has been hospitalized after a collision at Delk Road and Franklin Gateway Wednesday afternoon, and police are searching for the driver they say caused the accident.
The victim’s name has not been released by Marietta Police, who said that a male driver slammed into two vehicles at the intersection around 12:45 p.m. after being pursued in a traffic stop.
Police said a gray 1997 Mercury Cougar was heading north on Franklin Gateway when a uniform officer noticed the car wasn’t displaying a proper license plate.
When the officer tried to initiate the traffic stop, the Cougar turned left into a filling station, then sped away and ran a red light at the intersection, hitting two vehicles, police said.
The driver of the first vehicle that was hit was trapped inside and later taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, according to police, who did not indicate the victim’s condition.
Police said the suspect fled on foot. He is described as a black male, with a medium skin tone and dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a striped shirt, blue jeans and khaki colored boots.
Anyone with information about the accident is asked to contact Officer Parker at the Marietta Police Department. The main number is 770-794-5300.
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Maj. Brian Batterton visits with Rosan Hall at the East Cobb Business Association breakfast Tuesday. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
Maj. Brian Batterton, who began his career with the Cobb County Police Department in Precinct 4, is returning to become commander of the East Cobb-based unit.
Batterton, who succeeds Maj. Jerry Quan, is currently the commander of Cobb Police Precinct 5, which is in West Cobb.
His new appointment is another homecoming for Batterton, who still resides in East Cobb, in the Sprayberry High School area.
Batterton has been with Cobb Police since 1995, serving as a patrol officer, a criminal investigations supervisor and as a training center commander.
He made one of his first public appearances Tuesday at an East Cobb Business Association breakfast at the J. Christopher’s at East Lake Pavilions. Batterton will start his new duties Feb. 11.
In the interim, assistant commander Capt. Everett Cebula will be in charge of Precinct 4, which has around 70 officers and staff.
Batterton earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University and a juris doctor degree from John Marshall Law School. He also has served in the National Guard in Georgia and Alabama.
Quan retired on Friday after nearly 30 years with Cobb Police, and began work on Monday with the Cobb County School District Police Department.
In 2014, Quan was named East Cobb Citizen of the Year by the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
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Last week we noted that Cobb Police were having a “coffee with a cop” session as part of its community policing efforts. On Wednesday, they’re inviting you to join them again to express your concerns about crime and public safety issues in East Cobb.
From 8-10 a.m., Officer Nathalie Jegg will be available at the Chick-fil-A at Woodlawn Square, 1201 Johnson Ferry Road. She’s the Cobb Police Precinct 4 community officer (all five precincts have such an officer).
Here’s how Cobb Police is explaining this initiative, which is an ongoing function of its new community affairs unit:
“Community policing and trust building is one of the most important aspects of community-based policing. We, as police, need to create the situations where those things can occur, but it is often difficult and we don’t always reach our intended audience with town hall meetings alone. Coffee with a Cop is the perfect answer to the question of how to better engage our community and show our officers in a true and human light. The Cobb County Police Department welcomes you to pull up a chair and talk.”
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Cobb Police say a man robbed a Powers Ferry Road fast food restaurant Sunday night, right before closing time.
The suspect is a black male, and Cobb Police said he entered the Jimmy Johns sandwich shop at 1337 Powers Ferry Road around 9:30 p.m., demanding money from a clerk.
That restaurant is located across from Brumby Elementary School, and between Delk Road and Terrell Mill Road.
The suspect left the store with cash, according to police, who don’t have any more of a description other than he had a black pistol.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Cobb Police at 770-499-3945.
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Northeast Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell voted for a resolution requesting the Georgia General Assembly authorize a November referendum for a Cobb public safety sales tax (East Cobb News file photo).
By a 3-2 vote Tuesday night, a Cobb public safety tax referendum proposal was approved by the Board of Commissioners.
That means their resolution will be submitted to the Georgia legislature, which must authorize a local referendum to take place. Cobb wants the referendum scheduled for November.
The referendum proposal would collect a permanent penny sales tax for public safety costs that county officials say would generate $130 million a year.
Cobb’s six cities would get $34 million of that revenue, and the county would get the remaining $96 million, which would fund all public safety functions except the Cobb Sheriff’s Office.
The sales tax revenue would be used for general operating expenses, including salaries and benefits, as well as capital costs, such as new vehicles and equipment.
The tax would be collected only if Cobb voters approved a referendum.
Cobb currently collects six cents on every dollar in sales taxes.
Voting against the resolution was District 2 commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb, who wanted the resolution to clarify what would happen with the left-over money in the general fund no longer being used for public safety purposes.
“There’s no discussion here of what happens to the millage in the general fund,” Ott said at a work session on Monday. “This is a tax increase otherwise.”
North Cobb commissioner Bob Weatherford, who is proposing the sales tax, said the board has the flexibility to roll back the property tax millage rate if it chooses.
That wasn’t enough of an assurance for Ott, who supports taking public safety spending out of the general fund but who reiterated his objections right before the vote.
District 3 commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb supported the resolution, citing the high priority of public safety. “We have to put our money where our mouth is.”
The resolution was opposed by Lance Lamberton of the Cobb Taxpayers Association, who claimed the county doesn’t have a revenue problem but “a spending problem.”
Another sales tax, he said, “will amount to a very large tax increase on our citizens.”
Also sounding off on the vote Tuesday was Tom Cheek, a civic activist who has announced he’s running against Birrell in the Republican primary for District 3 this year.
Cheek wrote on his Facebook page that “by using the false flag of ‘Public Safety’ and the false promise of ‘we will lower your property taxes,’ the BOC took a huge step away from accountability.”
The other opposing vote on the board was Lisa Cupid of South Cobb, who referenced the county’s current budget challenges, with a projected fiscal year 2019 deficit between $30 million and $55 million.
“It’s hard to get our arms around a big gaping hole that’s affecting how everything functions in the county now,” she said.
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A new community affairs initiative by Cobb Police, “Coffee With A Cop,” takes place from 5-7 today at the Panera Bread location at The Avenue East Cobb, 4475 Lower Roswell Road.
Officer Nathalie Jegg, the community affairs officer for Precinct 4 in East Cobb, will meet with citizens to discuss public safety issues of concern to them.
It’s part of a community policing program begun by Cobb Police Chief Mike Register, who created the position of community officers in all five precincts.
Here’s how Sgt. Jeff Tatroe, the Cobb Police community affairs unit leader, describes the concept:
Coffee with your 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. Officer Nathalie Jegg (Pct. 4 Community Affairs Officer) and other Cobb Police officers will be present to engage in discussion. The event will allow you to discuss matters that are most important to you and your neighborhood(s).
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Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
