East Cobb Public Safety

Cobb Police hold vigil to honor officer killed in line of duty

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Vigil first Cobb Police officer killed in line of duty
Photos: Cobb Police Department

Thursday marked the 30th anniversary of the death of the first Cobb Police Officer killed by a firearm in the line of duty.

Shortly after midnight, Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer, other police officials and friends and family members of Robert Ingram gathered at the intersection of Marble Mill Road and Marr Avenue in Marietta.

That’s located near the Come-N-Get It Restaurant off the Church Street Extension.

And that’s where around 12:40 a.m. on July 13, 1993, Officer Ingram was checking the identification of a pedestrian spotted near the railroad tracks in what was regarded as a high-crime area.

He was shot and killed by a man with a hidden .380 caliber handgun who had been released from prison.

The suspect took Ingram’s patrol car to get away from the scene, and the abandoned vehicle was seen later in the day. Near Atlanta Road, George Russell Henry, on probation for burglaries and forgery, was arrested the same day and charged with the murder of Officer Ingram.Cobb Police vigil officer killed line of duty

Officer Ingram, a 1987 Sprayberry High School graduate, was only 24 years old when he died, and he had just gotten married. He had been on the Cobb Police force for two years, after attending Valdosta State University and serving in the U.S. Air Force.

He was posthumously awarded the Cobb Police Department’s Medal of Valor.

Henry pleaded guilty to Ingram’s murder in 1994 and was sentenced to death; he had appealed his verdict until his health-related death on Georgia’s death row in 2014.

The first Cobb Police officer to die in the line of duty was Lt. John William Hood, who was killed in 1960, several days after responding to a drag racing call on Roswell Road between Powers Ferry Road and what is now the Marietta Parkway.

His patrol vehicle was hit head-on by an 18-year-old driver who was speeding more than 100 mph and heading the wrong way and who also was killed in the crash.

Officer Drew Haynes Brown, a DUI officer, was killed in a 1983 crash when his patrol vehicle was struck by a drunk driver.

Cobb SWAT officers Stephen Gilmer and Matthew Reeves were killed in a 1999 standoff during a hostage rescue.

Officer Freddie Norman died in 2009, 21 years after his patrol vehicle was hit by a speeding car on Pat Mell Road. He was rendered a quadaplegic and was suffering from what were believed to be injuries sustained from the crash.

More information can be found by clicking the Cobb’s Fallen Heroes page prepared by the county.

Cobb Police vigil officer killed line of duty

Cobb Police vigil officer killed line of duty

Cobb Police vigil officer killed line of duty

Cobb Police vigil officer killed line of duty

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Register officially appointed as Cobb Public Safety Director

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Register officially appointed as Cobb Public Safety Director
Register with Cobb Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer and Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid.

Mike Register was a man of few words Tuesday, but he insisted on having a lot of people share in his return as Cobb Public Safety Director.

Cobb commissioners on Tuesday voted 5-0 to formally appoint Register to come back to his old job.

For the last year he has been the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and served as a deputy to Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens.

Register succeeds Randy Crider, who retired at the end of last year and was among those in attendance.

“Thank you for the opportunity to come back,” said Register, who was Cobb police chief and public safety director from 2017-2019.

Many of those he previously served with posed with him for photo ops, along with his wife and retired Cobb NAACP director Deane Bonner.

“Let’s do our job, let’s make Cobb County a better place for all,” he said, noting it’s been a “hard week” in the Cobb public safety community.

A former Cobb Sheriff’s deputy passed away, as did the 18-year-old daughter of Col. Eric Yeager, a 35-year Sheriff’s Office veteran.

Register wore a purple tie in honor of Kylie Yeager, a Marietta High School graduate.

“I’m glad to be home and appreciate the opportunity,” Register said.

Before the vote, Cupid said that “this is a decision [commissioners] all agreed on.”

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell told Register afterward “welcome home.” We’re glad to have you.”

In other action Tuesday, commissioners voted 5-0 to approve spending $720,897 for a sidewalk connecting the Walton High School campus on Bill Murdock Road with a new sports complex on Pine Road at Providence Road.

Commissioners also voted 5-0 to spend $204,000 for state and federal legislative consulting services with Dentons US LLP for 12 months.

Birrell also announced the appointment of East Cobb resident Susan Hampton to the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission.

She’s a banking and financial services professional who is the co-chair of the Cobb Public Safety Foundation, which provides support to public safety personnel.

Hampton replaces Larry Sernovitz, who resigned last week as rabbi at Temple Kol Emeth in East Cobb.

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GBI chief Register to return as Cobb Public Safety Director

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Less than a year after he became the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Mike Register is resigning.Mike Register, GBI Director

On Tuesday the Cobb Board of Commissioners will vote on confirming his appointment, which was announced late Thursday afternoon by Cobb County government.

Register was both Cobb police chief and public safety director between 2017 and 2019, then resigned for what he said were family reasons.

In 2021, he was named one of the top assistants to newly elected Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens, a former Cobb police officer.

In August 2021, Register left that job after he was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to head the GBI. Register succeeded Vic Reynolds, a former Cobb District Attorney and current Cobb Superior Court judge.

“It has been an honor to be the director of the GBI and serve under one of Georgia’s greatest governors, Brian Kemp,” Register said in the county release.

“I leave a great law enforcement agency with some of the most dedicated and competent professionals I have ever worked with. I look forward to leading the tremendous men and women who make up public safety in Cobb County and once again serve a great community.”

Register would succeed Randy Crowder, who retired at the end of 2022. Current Cobb Fire Chief Bill Johnson also has been serving as interim public safety director.

Public safety includes the county’s police, fire and emergency services, emergency management, 911 and animal services departments.

Register has had a 30-year career in public safety, including a stint as Clayton police chief. He is a past member of the Georgia Peace Officers Standard Training Council and the state Judicial Qualification Commission and served on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces’ Executive Board.

“We are thrilled that he has agreed to come back and lead Public Safety in Cobb,” Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said in the Cobb government release. “We are making tremendous strides in public safety, and it will be a tremendous benefit to our citizens to have a director who has already forged relationships in the community and has a deep understanding of the opportunities we have as a county.”

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Police: Missing East Cobb juvenile ‘safely returned to family’

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Marietta Police said late Tuesday that a 13-year-old boy living in an East Cobb apartment complex is back at home.Missing East Cobb juvenile found safe

Police said Elijah James went missing from his home in the 2600 block of Bentley Road (Stratford Ridge Apartments) Tuesday night, and according to his family, “he is believed to be an at-risk youth.”

He was last seen on foot on Delk Road, heading toward Terrell Mill Road, according to police.

The initial message went out around 10:30 Tuesday, and police followed up with another message about an hour later saying that James “has been located and safely returned to his family.”

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Cobb Police K9 dies in hot patrol car during training session

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Cobb K9 dies in hot patrol car

The Cobb Police Department said Tuesday that one of its own died in the line of duty on Monday.

Sgt. Wayne Delk said in a release Tuesday that Chase, a member of the department’s K9 unit, was left in an officer’s vehicle Monday afternoon during a police active shooter training session at Allatoona High School.

Delk said that the dog was left there in a kennel while officers conducted a training session in the school, and that police personnel checked on the animal every 15 minutes or so.

He said air conditioning was being provided to the animal in the car of his handler, Officer Neill.

But when an officer checked on Chase around 2 p.m., Delk said, the dog was unresponsive.

That’s because the air conditioning system in the car wasn’t working, according to police.

“Life-saving measures were started by Officer Neill, other Cobb Officers, and Cobb County Fire personnel” who were on the scene for the active shooter training, Delk said.

The dog was taken to a nearby emergency veterinary hospital but the animal died due to “heat-related injuries,” the Cobb Police release said.

“Preliminary information indicates that other safety systems did not properly activate and the temperature quickly rose in the vehicle,” Delk said.

“This is a horrible incident and our investigators are continuing to gather information regarding the vehicle system failures that led to this tragedy.”

Responses to the department’s social media postings about the incident included many that were critical of that action, while others defended the police.

UPDATED, June 7: The Cobb Police Department published this post this morning to explain why it keeps dogs inside patrol vehicles, and how an alert system is triggered:

“If the air conditioning system fails and the temperature reaches a point where it’s too hot, the safeguard automatically turns on the lights and the sirens, the windows automatically go down, and a fan turns on. The handler is notified and returns to their vehicle to address the problem.

“The patrol vehicle is always left running with the air conditioning on, but should something go wrong, the vehicle is equipped with a safeguard to protect the canine. Unfortunately, this vehicle had multiple failures, the alert system did not activate, and the handler was not alerted about an issue until they returned to the vehicle to check on the canine.”

Delk said that Chase was later taken to the Cobb County Animal Shelter and would be transported to the University of Georgia for a necropsy.

Chase was a four-year-old Belgian malinois born in Hungary and was named after Chase Maddox, a Locust Grove police officer killed in the line of duty in 2018.

The dog had been on duty with Cobb Police since April 2020, and his duties included narcotics detection, criminal apprehension, tracking, building searches and evidence recovery.

Cobb Police said in a separate social media posting that Chase “seized thousands of dollars worth of illegal narcotics, with numerous arrests and apprehensions.”

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Suspects captured after Bentley-Windy Hill Road vehicle chase

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suspect arrested Windy Hill Road vehicle chase
The chase ended at the Pappadeaux restaurant (blue star) after beginning along Bentley Road (upper right corner). OpenStreetMap

UPDATED, MAY 27:

Cobb Police said on Saturday that all three suspects have been captured.

Public Information Officer Aaron Wilson said in a release that the other two suspects were taken into custody at the Country Hearth Inn and Suites (2767 Windy Hill Road) after conducting surveillance.

Wilson said that police obtained a search warrant and asked the suspects to come out, but they declined. He said that the Cobb Police Violent Crime Bureau was called to the scene, and “with their assistance, officers were able to get the two suspects into custody.”

Wilson said all three suspects were listed as runaway juveniles and were not identified.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

Cobb Police said Friday that they have captured one person and two other suspects are at-large after a vehicle chase along in the Bentley Road-Windy Hill Road area earlier this morning.

A Precinct 3 press release said that around 4 a.m. Friday, a Flock license-plate reader alerted officers to a stolen vehicle in the Bentley Road area, and that the vehicle matched the description given by Marietta Police of being involved in several car break-ins in the vicinity.

Cobb Police said an officer spotted the vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop but the driver got away.

The driver “operated the vehicle recklessly” as officers pursued, according to police, and the vehicle continued to the Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen (2830 Windy Hill Road).

Police said the driver lost control and the vehicle crashed, and three suspects fled on foot.

Police said a K9 unit found one of the suspects hiding in a bush near the Belmont Place apartments and made an arrest. Meanwhile, other officers pursued the other suspects, but they got away, Cobb Police said.

One of suspects jumped a bridge rail and ran down a hill, with an officer deploying a Taser. But that didn’t work, and the suspect continued to flee. The officer sustained cuts to his right hand, a bruise to left thigh, and had a swollen left foot, and was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital for treatment, police said.

Police said they recovered three guns at the scene where the vehicle was ditched, with two confirmed as having been stolen, but K9 units were unable to locate the two other suspects.

The Precinct 3 release didn’t describe the vehicle or identify the suspects.

There’s no booking information available at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.

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Cobb Police: Pedestrian killed on I-75 near Windy Hill Road

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Cobb Police said that a woman walking along Interstate 75 early Sunday north of  the Windy Hill Road intersection was killed after being struck by a vehicle.Cobb Police, Powers Ferry Road crash, East Cobb crime forum

Public Information Officer Aaron Wilson said in a release Monday that Rebecca D. Poole, 40, was walking eastbound from an eastern shoulder of I-75 shortly before 5 a.m. when she was hit by a black 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross driven by Maria Salas Bracho, 24, of Marietta, who traveling was northbound on I-75 in the second lane from the right.

Wilson said that Salas Bracho was not injured but Poole was pronounced dead at the scene by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office.

He said her next of kin has been notified and that anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

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Cobb Police capture Atlanta mass shooting suspect

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UPDATED 8:25 PM

Cobb Police say they have arrested Deion Patterson and will release more information in a joint press conference with Atlanta Police.

Follow-up story can be found by clicking here.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Cobb Police said Wednesday that they are assisting Atlanta Police and other law enforcement agencies in trying to apprehend a man whom they say shot at least five people at Midtown hospital, one fatally.Midtown Atlanta shooting suspect

In a social media message posted around 3:15 p.m., Cobb Police said they have assigned officers in the search “after reports he may have come to Cobb County. Portions of Cobb County that border Atlanta may see heavier than normal presence.”

Cobb Police said in another message a few minutes later that “reports of a recovered carjacked vehicle near Campbell Middle School are not correct. We will update with information as it becomes available.”

Another message posted around 3:45 p.m. said the search was taking place in the Vinings, Cumberland and Truist Park areas.

At 4:25 p.m., Cobb Police said that “reports of shots fired at 200 Galleria Pkwy were a false alarm. No shots fired.”

The Smyrna Police Department posted a message shortly after 2 p.m. saying it had received “credible information that a vehicle possibly connected to the midtown shooting was seen in the area of Campbell Rd and Atlanta Rd.

“Officers responded to the area to assist in the search, but the vehicle was not there. Smyrna Police Department is continuing to work with other law enforcement agencies in this matter. If you see anything suspicious please call 911.”

At 4:45 p.m. the Cobb Sheriff’s Office said it had activated its SWAT unit to support Cobb Police search efforts.

The Cobb Police postings came shortly after Atlanta Police lifted a shelter-in-place order in the area around 1110 West Peachtree St.

That’s the address of the Northside Hospital Midtown campus.

Atlanta Police identified the suspect as Deion Patterson, 24, and released the accompanying photos, saying that as of 2:46 p.m. he was still at-large but believed he was no longer in the Midtown area.

“The suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached,” Atlanta Police said shortly before 2 p.m.

The shelter-in-place was ordered around 12:40 p.m. after shots rang out at the medical building.

Midtown Atlanta shooting suspectPolice said four of the shooting victims were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and the person who died was pronounced deceased at the scene.

A Grady official said at a press conference that three of the shooting victims taken to the hospital are in critical condition—two of them had been in surgery—and the other is in the emergency room.

Atlanta Police held a media briefing later Wednesday afternoon, and said a 39-year-old woman was killed, and that the other victims taken to Grady also are women, ages 25, 29, 56 and 71.

This story will be updated.

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Cobb County outdoor burn ban continues through Sept. 30

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From May 1-Sept. 30, an outdoor burn ban is in effect in Cobb County.Cobb Fire Department fireworks safety reminder

Citizens may not burn leaves, tree limbs or other yard waste and forest land and may not use air curtain destructors for land clearing.

Cobb is one of 54 counties in Georgia with the outdoor burn ban, which includes unincorporated areas as well as the cities of Acworth, Kennesaw and Powder Springs.

Certain types of recreational fires and bonfires are permitted throughout the year, and there are restrictions that apply and some permits may be required.

Exempted from the burn ordinance are fires stemming from barbecue grills or pits, and outdoor fireplaces and similar devices that burn logs and clean wood.

For more information on permitted outdoor burning in Cobb, please click here.

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Man sentenced to 15 years in stalking at Indian Hills home

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A Dunwoody man has been given a 15-year sentence, with seven years to serve in prison, after pleading guilty this week to aggravated stalking and other charges stemming from an incident last May at a home in Indian Hills.Man sentenced stalking Indian Hills home

The Cobb District Attorney’s Office Friday said that Cobb Superior Court Judge Jason Marbut handed down the sentence to Anthony Merriwether, 66, after a negotiated plea on a number of felony counts.

Those included discharge of a gun near highway or street, reckless conduct, criminal damage to property in the first and second degrees, possession of cocaine, possession of firearm during commission of a felony, terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit theft by extortion, and possession of firearm by a convicted felon.

Merriwether was to have gone on trial this week, according to Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Office records.

Prosecutors said Merriwether was an ex-boyfriend of the victim’s deceased sister, and they had been in a dispute over the latter’s estate.

In a news release Friday, the DA’s office said that Cobb Police were called to the scene of a home on May 6, 2022, by a woman who reported an armed man in her front yard.

Prosecutors said that a window and interior walls of the home had been shattered by bullets, and that a man was shown on a Ring video camera driving to the home, stepping out of the car and making verbal threats for money.

According to an arrest warrant, the camera footage showed Merriwether pulling up in the driveway in a Porsche and he was in possession of two guns at the home on Indian Hills Parkway.

The victim was home at the time of the incident, the warrant said.

Merriwether had been given a portion of his former girlfriend’s estate, according to prosecutors, who said he believed he was entitled to the entire estate.

According to the release, Merriwether was arrested at a traffic stop on Johnson Ferry Road near Columns Drive shortly after the incident and was was found with two firearms and cocaine in his vehicle.

After his release, however, according to the DA’s office, Merriwether continued to contact the victim, despite a “no-contact” provision of his bond.

Another warrant taken out on Nov. 14 states that Merriwether used his deceased girlfriend’s e-mail address between Oct. 24 and Oct. 26 to send several messages “which contained threats of death, violence and intimidating statements” toward the same victim.

On Nov. 17, Merriwether was arrested on the aggravated stalking charge for violating bond conditions, and he has been detained ever since at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.

He was denied bond in December after a probable cause hearing, according to Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s office records.

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Motorcyclist injured in Roswell Road crash in East Cobb

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A motorcyclist suffered non-life-threatening injuries Monday when the motorcycle he was riding on Roswell Road in East Cobb crashed with a car, according to Cobb Police.Northeast Cobb car crash, Cops on Donut Shops

Police said Felix Witt, 23, was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital after the crash, which occurred at 6:10 p.m. Monday at Roswell Road and Willeo Rill Road.

Police said that Witt was traveling westbound on Roswell Road on a a black 2022 KTR 390 when it crashed into the rear of a white 2017 Mazda CX5, which was heading eastbound on Roswell.

According to police, the Mazda, driven by Sandra Craine, 76, was attempting a U-turn at the intersection when the crash took place.

Craine was not injured, according to police, who are continuing to investigate the crash. Anyone with information is asked to call the Cobb County Police STEP unit at 770-499-3987.

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Northeast Cobb fire destroys home, garage; no injuries

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Northeast Cobb fire destroys home
Cobb Fire & Emergency Services

A home and garage were destroyed Sunday afternoon in a fire in the Northeast Cobb area that Cobb Fire officials said took 15 units to get under control.

Cobb Fire said the home was in the Jamerson Road area, and crews were called around 12:45 p.m. with reports of heavy smoke and fire.

No one was home at the time, according to Cobb Fire, which made contact with the homeowner and said there were no injuries.

“Crews were able to respond quickly to extinguish the fire spreading in the woods, preventing any further damages to other residences in the area,” Cobb Fire said in a social media message.

Another fire broke out in East Cobb on Sunday, seven miles from the other blaze, according to the Cobb Professional Firefighters Local 2563, requiring seven units.

No details were provided, and East Cobb News has contacted Cobb Fire for information about that fire.

Northeast Cobb fire destroys home
Cobb Fire & Emergency Services
Northeast Cobb fire destroys home
Cobb Professional Fire Fighters Local 2563

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Cobb Police to hold public safety forum with county agencies

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The Cobb Police Department is inviting the public to a public safety forum on March 25 that includes representatives from other public safety agencies in the county. Cobb public safety appreciation

The forum is from 10-3 at the Cobb Public Safety Training Center (2436 East-West Connector, Austell) and is free with lunch provided by Blue Thanksgiving.

Agencies include Cobb Police, Fire, 911, Emergency Management, the Cobb Sheriff’s Office and the police departments of all six cities in Cobb: Marietta, Kennesaw, Acworth, Smyrna, Powder Springs, and Austell.

Topics to be addressed at the forum include active shooter events, the future of policing, gun safety and current laws, public safety interaction with citizens, building trust with law enforcement in the community and more.

Tickets are limited to 250 people and are required for entry. To register, click here or use the QR code below.Cobb public safety forum

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Police arrest Roswell Road-Interstate 75 hit-and-run suspect

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Marietta Police said Wednesday they’ve arrested a motorist they say hit two construction workers on Roswell Road at the Interstate 75 bridge on Sunday morning.Marietta Police

Malik Branch, 31, of Dallas, Ga., is charged with two felony counts each of hit and run and injury by vehicle, as well as misdemeanor charges of DUI, failure to maintain lane, driving on a suspended license, driving on a suspended car registration, driving without insurance, not wearing a seatbelt and driving an unsafe vehicle.

According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office booking reports, Branch is being held without bond at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.

Police said “old school detective work” led to the arrest.

According to an arrest warrant, Branch was seen at the nearby Marietta Sage Lounge (962 Roswell Street) earlier Sunday evening, and “was stumbling and almost falling in the parking lot with a beer bottle in his hand.”

Branch then got into his car, a gray 2019 Volkswagen Jetta, and headed eastbound on Roswell Road, the warrant states, causing the accident.

The workers were preparing for a lane closure at 1:40 a.m. Sunday when they were injured, according to the warrant, which said the Jetta left its lane of traffic and struck construction cones and a traffic message board before hitting the two men.

The warrant said that construction worker Jimmy Varraza suffered a broken right arm, a broken right leg and a broken hip and remains unconscious and in critical condition.

The other worker, Oscar Aguilar, suffered a broken right arm and swelling to his head, according to the warrant. Police said Wednesday he has been released from a hospital.

The warrant also said that the Jetta had two bald front tires, two rear tires with low inflation levels, one of them not the proper size for the vehicle.

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Road workers struck by vehicle at I-75 bridge at Roswell Road

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Marietta Police said that two construction workers sustained life-threatening injuries when they were struck by a vehicle at the Interstate 75 overpass at Roswell Road early Sunday.Marietta Police

In a release, Marietta Police said they’re still looking for the driver of a gray 2019 Volkswagen Jetta that struck Jimmy Varraza, 38, and Oscar Aguilar, 28, both of metro Atlanta, as they were preparing for a lane closure at 1:40 a.m. Sunday.

Police said that the Volkswagen was traveling eastbound on Roswell Road, and that the two workers had gotten out of their vehicle to set up a traffic directional sign.

Police said the driver of the Volkswagen stopped at the scene, then fled on foot before first responders arrived.

The investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to contact Marietta Police Officer K. Bedford at (770) 794-5364.

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Cobb Police shoot motorist with gun on I-75 near Delk Road

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Cobb Police shoot I-75 motorist

UPDATED:

The GBI has identified the suspect as Kenny Ezekiel, 31, of Atlanta, and said he is in stable condition.

According to a GBI release, Ezekiel pulled a gun from his waistband, ignoring the command of an officer who told him not to reach for the weapon.

The officer immediately shot Ezekial, who threw the gun out of the driver’s side window, according to the GBI, which said no officers were injured in the incident.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

Cobb Police said that a driver they say reached for a gun as an officer approached during a traffic stop on Interstate 75 Wednesday night near Delk Road was shot and taken to a hospital.

In a release issued Thursday morning, Public Information Officer Shenise Barner said the unidentified driver was pulled over by Precinct 4 officers in a southbound lane of I-75 after 10 p.m. Wednesday,

Police said the officer saw that the driver had a weapon and the motorist “made a movement toward the firearm.”

Barner said the officer commanded the driver to stop, but the driver ignored the order, and was shot by the officer.

Police said officers offered first aid to the driver, who was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital by ambulance.

Barner did not indicate the condition of the driver; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the case, as it does with officer-involved shootings, and is expected to release further information.

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Cobb Sheriff’s Office: Jail inmate dies after heroin binge

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The Cobb Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that an inmate has died after overdosing on heroin.Cobb Sheriff's Office

A release sent by the Sheriff’s office said James Martin, 41, of Mableton, died shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday.

He was arrested on Friday for possession of methamphetamine and told deputies that he was a heroin addict who “had just binged the substance,” the release said, adding that he was sent to the jail’s infirmary.

On Wednesday morning, according to the release, Martin told medical staff he wasn’t feeling well and had a seizure.

Life-saving attempts included the use of Narcan, but Martin died in an ambulance en route to a hospital, the Sheriff’s office said.

“Heroin, meth, fentanyl, and other opioids have tragically taken so many lives in Cobb County, causing irreparable harm to families,” Cobb Sheriff Craig Owens said in the release.

The Sheriff’s Office said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation will be conducting an investigation of Martin’s death.

Martin is the first Cobb inmate to die this year and the seventh since Owens took office in 2021.

Three inmates died in May 2022, the last a woman who had been on suicide watch. Three other inmates died in 2021.

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Police: Suspect made false report in East Cobb bomb threat

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East Cobb shopping center evacuated
A Marietta Police photo of the truck at that contained a device that was investigated by bomb technicians. The driver has been charged with making a false report of a crime.

Marietta Police on Monday provided some more information about a bomb threat Saturday that forced the evacuation of an East Cobb shopping center for several hours.

What they haven’t established yet is a reason why the owner of a pickup truck drove from his hometown in Alabama to a retail parking lot in Marietta and made the threat.

Robert Andrew Devlin, 37, of Lincoln, Ala., remains in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on a $60,000 bond for what police said were making false reports of a pipe bomb in a truck he drove to the parking lot at East Gate Shopping Center (1808 Lower Roswell Road).

An arrest warrant for Devlin said he’s charged with a felony count of making a false report of a crime and two misdemeanor counts of making a false alarm and having a hoax device.

The warrant states that Devlin drove from his hometown to the shopping center and shortly after 8 a.m. called 911, which dispatched officers to the scene.

Marietta Police said that based on information Devlin provided to them, “officers determined the threat to be credible and immediately began evacuating the area” around the shopping center.

Other law enforcement was called, including Cobb Police and its bomb squad. Devlin was interviewed by Marietta Police and was charged as that was going on.

“Around noon, a device resembling a pipe bomb was removed from the truck and secured by the CCPD bomb technicians. The rest of the vehicle was methodically searched via robot” and the area was reopened to the public around 3 p.m., police said Monday.

The FBI and ATF were also called to the scene, and it was determined that while the device “did contain some explosive elements, it lacked other components necessary for it to be considered a fully assembled explosive device.”

Marietta Police said they’re continuing to investigate and anyone with information is asked to call Det. Robert Bollinger at 770-794-5345.

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East Cobb shopping center evacuated due to possible bomb

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East Cobb shopping center evacuated
The East Gate Shopping Center entrance at Hamby Drive. East Cobb News photo.

UPDATED, SUNDAY, FEB. 26, 12:41 P.M.:

The area that had been evacuated was reopened later Saturday without incident.

Marietta Police have charged Robert Andrew Devlin, 37, of Lincoln, Ala., on a felony count of a false public alarm and misdemeanor counts of false report of a crime and reporting a device that turned out to be a hoax.

According to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records, Devlin was arrested at 11 a.m. Saturday and later booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, where he is being held on a $60,000 bond.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

Police have blocked off access around a shopping center in East Cobb Saturday after receiving a tip about a vehicle parked there that may have contained an explosive device.

Marietta Police said Saturday afternoon that several law enforcement agencies are on the scene at the East Gate Shopping Center.

Police are blocking off the area around the shopping center, located at the Marietta Parkway and Lower Roswell Road.

There is no access for motorists on Lower Roswell between the Marietta Parkway and Scott Drive and on Hamby Drive between Lower Roswell and Hazelwood Drive.

East Cobb shopping center evacuated
A Marietta Police photo of the truck that contained a device secured by Cobb Police bomb technicians. The driver was taken into custody.

Marietta Police said in a social media message that a 911 call at 8:13 a.m. Saturday said a pickup truck parked near the shopping center “may have some sort of a bomb or explosive device in the back.”

According to police, officers called to the scene made contact with the truck owner and “determined the threat to be serious.”

That individual, who was not identified, was taken into custody, police said, and the area was evacuated as the Cobb Police bomb squad was called to the scene.

Police said a device was removed from the truck but “it is not yet known if that device is real.”

They said they believe the area is safe but were keeping the evacuation in place as they continued to search the truck.

Cobb Police, Cobb Sheriff’s Office, Marietta Fire, Cobb Fire, the FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco also were on the scene.

This story will be updated.

East Cobb shopping center evacuated
A Cobb Sheriff’s vehicle blocking motorists on Lower Roswell Road at Scott Drive. East Cobb News photo.
East Cobb shopping center evacuated
Vehicles attempting to cross the Marietta Parkway on Lower Roswell Road westbound were forced to detour. East Cobb News photo.

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Cobb Police: Motorcyclist killed in Canton Road crash

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A 20-year-old Woodstock man died late Wednesday night after a motorcycle he was riding on Canton Road crashed with a car, Cobb Police said. Northeast Cobb car crash, Cops on Donut Shops

Public Information Officer Joseph Wilson identified the victim as Daniel Kansky and said the driver of the car, Angela Jackson, 48, of Marietta, was not injured.

Wilson said the crash took place shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday night. Jackson was driving a white 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan northbound on Canton Road, and made a left turn onto Chase Corner.

As she made the turn, Wilson said, the Volkswagen “entered the path of the Honda,” a reference to a black 2008 Honda CBR60 driven by Kansky, who was traveling south on Canton Road.

Wilson said the investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

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