Cobb commissioner Bob Ott’s office sent out what it’s calling a “significant traffic advisory” this weekend for the ongoing repair work on Lower Roswell Road at the Sope Creek Bridge. Lane closures will be taking place during Friday and Saturday overnight periods:
“Beginning 7 p.m., Friday through 6 a.m., Saturday and from 7 p.m., Saturday through 6 a.m., Sunday, expect heavy delays. Two lanes will be closed with only one lane open to traffic. Flagging operations will be in place.
“This project consists of the rehabilitation of the existing bridge located on Lower Roswell Road over Sope Creek. Repairs include resealing the bridge joints, replacement of drainage structures, patching the existing concrete, leveling/stabilization of the approach slab, and installation of polymer overlay. This project is scheduled to be completed August 2019.”
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A former Wheeler High School student charged with striking a teacher at the school in February has been indicted.
Last Friday, a Cobb Superior Court grand jury handed down an indictment of battery upon school personnel, a felony, against Dante Jaquawn Walker, 19, according to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.
In the indictment, Walker is alleged to have struck a teacher in the face on Feb. 4. He was arrested by Cobb County School District Police and later was released on a bond of $8,470, according to Cobb Sheriff’s Office records.
Court records indicate that Walker was rearrested on July 4 on a felony marijuana charge and a misdemeanor charge of willful obstruction of a police officer. As a result, his bond was revoked on July 17 for 90 days. He remains in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, according to the Cobb Sheriff’s Office.
Walker’s home address in jail and court records is listed at Penny Lane, which is an apartment community off Wylie Road.
The court records further indicate that Walker must complete a drug and alcohol evaluation and enroll in a program to receive a General Education Diploma, among other pretrial conditions imposed in the July 17 order by Judge Kellie Hill.
Roy Clayton, the teacher identified in the indictment as Walker’s victim, was not listed on the Wheeler faculty roster for the school year that just began.
East Cobb News contacted the Cobb school district seeking information on whether the teacher had been investigated, placed on leave or disciplined in connection with the Feb. 4 incident.
A district spokeswoman would say only that “Mr. Clayton is still employed by the Cobb County School District. The student referenced is not enrolled in a Cobb County school.”
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We’re revamping our calendar format, so please bear with us. The listings you’re used to seeing are undergoing some changes, but we wanted to let you know about a few events going on in East Cobb this weekend, especially as another school year is underway.
If you want to unload some clutter to help a good cause, Saturday’s the day to drop off items at the Pope Band Recycling Day. It’s from 9-4 at the school (3001 Hembree Road) and the basic donation is $10 per vehicle. Recyclable metals, electronics, paper and other goods are accepted; there’s a detailed listing of what you can bring and what’s not allowed at the link, and additional fees apply for some items.
From 10-2 on Saturday, you can swing by Honest-1 Auto Care (1391 East Cobb Drive) for food, games and more at its Family Fun Day that helps out United Military Care’s work with veterans. The non-profit has a Buddy Partner program that sends out volunteers to stay connected to isolated veterans, and those needing other assistance.
High school football is only a few weeks away, and two of East Cobb’s top teams are squaring off at 10 a.m. in a scrimmage. Walton visits Kell (4770 Lee Waters Road), and they’re both getting an early start to the season in other ways too, as participants once again in the Corky Kell Classic on Aug. 24 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
A late summer production of Center Stage North begins Friday and continues this weekend and through next weekend at The Art Place (3330 Sandy Plains Road). In “Sylvia,” an empty nest couple moves to Manhattan from the suburbs, and their marriage is on the rocks after the adoption a Lab-poodle mix found on the streets. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, as well as 8 p.m. next Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Ticket info and ordering is here; they’re not sold at The Art Place.
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Construction work along Sandy Plains Road between Piedmont Road and Ebenezer Road began last summer.
The Sandy Plains Road improvements that continue between Piedmont Road and Ebenezer Road were expected to be finished next month. But that work may not be done until December.
Cobb DOT has an agenda item on next Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting asking for a change order to extend the work until Dec. 20. There is no additional cost involved.
That project was to have been done by now, at the start of a new school year, but has been extended to next March.
The Sandy Plains Road project has had some other delays as well, not mentioned in Tuesday’s agenda item: In May there was an overnight shutdown of Sandy Plains at Ebenezer for emergency repairs due to a water main break caused by a construction truck hitting a fire hydrant.
There also was an overnight water outage on one side of Sandy Plains last month as part of the construction work.
The contract for the $4.4 million Sandy Plains construction project approved by commissioners in 2017 was awarded to C.W. Matthews Contracting Company, Inc., and includes a raised median, new crosswalks and pedestrian signals and resurfacing.
More on Tuesday’s commissioners meeting, which starts at 9 a.m. in the 2nd floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta):
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Walton faces the 2019 season without Dominick Blaylock (1), now a Georgia Bulldog.
If you want to meet all six of the public high school football coaches in East Cobb, next Thursday’s your chance at the annual Pigskin Preview Breakfast.
It’s put on by the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, and it starts at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15, at Indian Hills Country Club (4001 Clubland Drive).
Tickets are $25 for Chamber members and $35 for general admission, and online registration closes on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
As in past years, the format is the same. The head coaches from Kell, Lassiter, Pope, Sprayberry, Kell, Walton and Wheeler will discuss their teams as preseason practice is underway, and take questions from a moderator and the audience.
They’ll also be bringing some of their players.
Two of the coaches will be new to the Pigskin Breakfast. They’re Sean Thom of Lassiter and Bryan Love of Wheeler. They succeeded the longest-serving coaches in East Cobb, respectively: Jep Irwin, now in Kentucky, and Mike Collins, the new coach at River Ridge in Cherokee County. Both were on the job for 10 years.
We’ll be posting full schedules for each team soon, but Kell and Walton will once again be playing in the Corky Kell Classic. Their games are on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. respectively, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta.
On Saturday, the Longhorns and Raiders will be facing each other in a scrimmage at The Stockyard at Kell High School (4770 Lee Waters Road) starting at 10 a.m.
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Here’s what’s going in August at the East Cobb Senior Center, with information provided by Cobb Senior Services (and you can get more details and sign up at the link):
Sip-n-Paint CSS membership required
Tuesday, August 13
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Free/Registration required
You get the opportunity to create your very own masterpiece in a fun relaxed environment while sipping on something sweet. Wear clothes you don’t mind a bit of paint on. Most classes are acrylic paintings on canvas. The final masterpiece is done at the end of class and ready to be taken home. There is no experience necessary. All supplies provided.
Cord Cutting CSS membership required
Wednesday, August 14
10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Free/Registration required
Services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime are some of the most well-known names in what’s become known as “cord cutting,” doing away with cable/satellite television and using internet-based services to get your programming. Learn more about these services and how you can use them to cut your cable bill.
Movement & Nutrition CSS membership required
Tuesday, August 16
1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m.
Free/Registration required
Learn the basics of leading a healthy lifestyle the easy way and the truth about your body, and how to fuel it right.
History Corner: The Story of Women and Art CSS membership required
Tuesday, August 20
1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m.
Free/Registration required The Story of Women and Art is a television documentary series, consisting of three to one-hour episodes. The series are presented by Professor Amanda Vickery.
Ask the Expert/Medicare Questions CSS membership required
Friday, August 23
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Call the center to schedule your 15-minute appointment
Free/Registration required
Whether you are turning 65, are already on Medicare, or helping someone with their coverage, plan to attend a meeting with the expert, to get your Medicare questions answered.
Biography Corner: Georgia O’Keefe CSS membership required
Tuesday, August 27
1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m.
Free/Registration required
Among the great American artists of the 20th-century, Georgia O’Keeffe stands as one of the most compelling. For nearly a century, O’Keeffe’s representations of the beauty of the American landscape were a brave counterpoint to the chaotic images embraced by the art world.
Dine-a-Round No CSS membership required
Wednesday, August 28
11:30a.m.-1:00p.m.
Separate checks for lunch; Registration required
Meet at XenGo Fusion Kitchen & Fusion, 3162 Johnson Ferry Road
AARP Smart Driver No CSS or AARP membership required
Thursday, August 22
9:00a.m.- 4:00p.m.
$15 AARP members/$20 Non-members (cash or check only)
Check with your insurance agent about a possible discount.
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Last call to RSVP for Thursday’s Steal It! Pop Up Art Festival event from 7-9:30 p.m. at The Art Place (3330 Sandy Plains Road), which will feature the work of more than 30 local artists.
Admission is free, but drink tickets are $5 each, or two for $10 (and you’ll need to show your ID).
Like other similar events at The Art Place, this one is being presented by the Mountain View Arts Alliance, which supports the center’s work. It’s also the opening reception for an ongoing art sale, with items hanging in the hallway, gallery and lobby space in The Art Place.
All art on display will be under $50.
On Thursday, there will be 10 “pop up” booths featuring art for sale, live music from the Americana duo of Buttered Bourbon on the patio, previews for CenterStage North Theatre‘s upcoming show “Sylvia,” service dogs from Canine Assistantsand light appetizers.
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East Cobb may get its first Five Guys restaurant soon, pending action later this month by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
We saw an “Other Business” item in the Aug. 20 agenda files for a franchise location at the former Del Taco restaurant in the East Cobb Crossing Shopping Center (4269 Roswell Road).
The nationwide chain featuring hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, French fries and milkshakes has three current Cobb locations and another in Sandy Springs.
ECC Outparcel, LLC is seeking signage and other design changes that don’t require rezoning, but must be signed off by commissioners. The outparcel site and shopping center were zoned for planned shopping center use in 1998.
In 2015 Del Taco got county permission to amend certain signage stipulations. The Five Guys amendment is asking to continue the signage uses permitted when Del Taco was open, and says in its application that “no change of use, occupancy or construction type is proposed.”
Five Guys also says in the case file it’s not proposing any new signage “in locations not previously approved” by commissioners for use by previous tenants.
The case file (you can read it here) includes other renderings in addition to the one at the top, as well as other design proposals and parking configurations.
Five Guys opened in the Washington, D.C. area in 1986 and now has more than 1,500 locations, with nearly as many planned in expansion.
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For the second time in as many months a proposal to turn a vacant commercial building on Ebenezer Road at Canton Road into a multi-business retail property is being delayed.
Last month the application by SAW Holding Inc. was delayed from July due to notification issues. At the start of Tuesday’s Cobb Planning Commission hearing, Cobb Zoning Office Division Manager John Pederson said the case was being delayed by the staff until September.
Here’s the case file for the application, which is seeking rezoning from neighborhood shopping to neighborhood retail commercial on 1.7 acres adjacent to Noonday Baptist Church.
SAW Holdings wants build 2,241-square-foot center for restaurants, a grocery store and offices, with the businesses open from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m.
The Canton Road Neighbors civic group has expressed opposition to the current application for the subdivided nature of the request, as well as for environmental reasons.
“This is generally a family friendly area, with youth sports facilities, churches and residential neighborhoods,” Carol Brown of Canton Road Neighbors wrote in a letter to the zoning staff. “The SE corner of the Canton/Ebenezer intersection is now the site of a public park. It is an area of natural beauty and the Little Noonday [Creek] needs as much protection as possible.”
The planning board recommended approval of a request by SZS Holdings Inc. for a special land-use permit to expand a parking lot at Auto Weekly Specials, a used-car business (SLUP-7-2019 (case file here).
Owner Obaid Malik wants to add 41 additional parking space on the acre parcel that’s zoned general commercial.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners will make final zoning decisions on Aug. 20.
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Co-authors Andy Lee White of East Cobb (left) and John Williams flank Robert Lee Smith, the last surviving member of the original Tams. (author photo)
Following up a post from a couple weeks ago, about a July 26 book signing and Marietta Square concert with The Tams, and a book that includes the 1960s singing group, here’s a report from co-author Andy Lee White, an East Cobb resident, after the event:
Robert Lee Smith (circled in red) appeared at a Tams concert on the Marietta Square July 26.
The book signing for east Cobb author Andy Lee White’s, Atlanta Pop in the ‘50s, ‘60s & ‘70s: The Magic of Bill Lowery, held at The Local Exchange on the Marietta Square before The Tams concert in Glover Park, saw a very special guest make an appearance.
Robert Lee Smith, the last living original member of The Tams, stopped by for a visit with authors Andy Lee White and John M. Williams.
Robert and the other original members of The Tams are featured in a photograph on the cover of the new book and in a chapter dedicated to The Tams.
Robert even performed a couple of songs with the current Tams lineup (the first time together in 25 years) at theconcert.
Estimates put the Friday night concert crowd on the Marietta Square at almost 10,000 people.
The book was published April 1 is available through The History Press.
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All-state player Zoe Laneaux (14) is a senior for the Pope Greyhounds. (ECN file)
Just a few days after a new school year began, so does the high school sports schedule. For the Pope softball team, beginning a new season means facing the team it lost to in last year’s state championship round.
The Greyhounds play at Georgia Class 6A champion Harrison Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the season opener for both teams.
Pope, which finished 33-6 last year under coach Chris Turco, is loaded again for another shot at the state crown. Five all-state players return: Zoe Laneaux (third base), Katie Ward (outfield), Bailey Chapin (first base), Hallie Adams (pitcher) and Carolyn Deady (catcher).
The Greyhounds need to replace second baseman Hannah Dodd, shortstop Gracie Kittrell and pitcher Trinity Pizzutti, who were leaders of the Class of 2018 that won 108 games. Their home opener is Aug. 13 vs. Northview at 5:30 p.m.
Lassiter also reached the state playoffs in Class 7A and posted a 27-7 season under coach Jason Campbell. The Trojans open next week on the road, then play host to Harrison on Friday, Aug. 16 at 4:45 p.m.
Kell was 13-13 under Kevin Foster last year and gets underway at Sprayberry Wednesday at 5:30 in an all-East Cobb matchup. The Longhorns will play Paulding County Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the first home game of the season.
Walton, which was 5-20 in 2018, also swings into action next week at Westminster and Campbell, then plays at Wheeler on Aug. 19. The Raiders have their first home games on an Aug. 27 doubleheader against Lassiter that starts at 5 p.m. at Terrell Mill Park (480 Terrell Mill Road).
The other two East Cobb high schools have new coaches.
Sprayberry began its season Tuesday at home against Sequoyah and is playing Wednesday at Kell, returns home to play Creekview Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The Yellow Jackets also play host to Harrison Saturday at 12 p.m. under first-year coach Desmond Atwell.
Wheeler also has a new coach in Mark Collins, and starts the season with a tournament at Marietta High School Thursday-Saturday. The Wildcats open at home next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. against Riverwood. They play their home games at Coach Mau Field, behind the former East Cobb Middle School campus on Holt Road.
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This isn’t specific to East Cobb, but there’s been a lot of interest since the news first broke: the toxic emissions coming from a medical device sterilization lab in Smyrna have prompted Cobb commissioner Bob Ott to hold a town hall meeting on the subject later this month.
It’s scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19 at the Cobb Civic Center (548 S. Marietta Parkway), which ought to be big enough to accommodate many of those who couldn’t get into a previous public meeting last week held by legislators from the area.
Since then, Cobb public officials have called for the Sterigenics Atlanta lab to be shut down pending independent testing. Late Friday, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division approved a plan to reduce those emissions.
The substance is called ethylene oxide, an invisible, odorless toxin that’s used to sterilize around half of all medical products that require it. It’s also been linked to higher cancer rates in areas near facilities that emanate the gas.
But according to Georgia Health News and WebMD, which initially reported about the Sterigenics case, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency didn’t notify the state of three ethylene oxide hotspots it detected with higher cancer risks in Georgia for more than a year.
The Smyrna area near the Sterigenics lab is one of those hotspots (essentially they’re census tracts). Some nearby residents also have been protesting at the Sterigenics lab.
Ott said at what he’s calling his “community meeting” that federal EPA officials and others from the Georgia EPD and the Centers for Disease Control will be on hand.
He’s expected to introduce an agenda item at the commission’s Aug. 13 meeting but hasn’t specified what that might be.
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Book discussion groups meeting at Cobb County Public Libraries cover a range of topics and interests. Adult book clubs are fun social gatherings and a good way to meet your neighbors and gather with friends.
Expand your knowledge about the world and literature. New clubs have been added to expand your options.
Upcoming Book Club sessions include:
Page Turners Book Club at Mountain View Regional Library meets on Wednesday, August 7 for sessions at 10:30 am – noon and 1 pm – 2:30 pm. The August selection is The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. 770-509-2725
Men’s Book Club at East Cobb Library on Saturday, August 10 from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm. We’ll be discussing A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman. Although called Men’s Book Club, women are certainly welcome. 770-509-2730.
Story to Screen at Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center on Wednesday, August 14 from 6 pm – 9 pm. In this book club with a twist, we discuss what’s better: Book or Movie. We’ll be discussing “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long” by Bryan Aldiss and then watching Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Rated PG-13. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. 770-509-2711
East Cobb Book Club at East Cobb Library meets for sessions on Thursday, August 15 from 11 am – 12:30 pm and 2 pm – 3:30 pm. The selection for both sessions is Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. Please call 770-509-2730. to confirm the title.
Read. Think. Talk at Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center will meet on Wednesday, August 21 from 10:30 am – noon to discuss The Cuckoo’s Callingby Robert Galbraith. 770-509-2711
Cobb Cooks the Books at Mountain View Regional Library on Monday, August 26 from 7 pm – 8 pm. Select a recipe from the cooksbooks on display at the library, find your own recipe or use one you already have and join us for a potluck meal and discuss the recipes of the theme for the month. The August theme is vegetarian. To register click here. 770-509-2725
Are you interested in launching your own book club, but you’re not sure where to start? Join us at Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center at Help! I Want to Start a Book Club! on Tuesday, August 27 from 7 pm – 8:30 pm. We’ll offer tips on how to organize a group and how to go about getting the best resources to start your own book club. 770-509-2711
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The Rev. Clay Smith was approved by the membership of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church on Sunday to become the new senior pastor.
Smith, who was called by the church’s search committee last month, preached at all five services on Sunday. His hiring was formalized at a conference following the services in a motion that “had the unanimous recommendation from the search team, personnel committee, elders, and Bryant and Anne Wright. The vote of Johnson Ferry Baptist members was unanimous!”
Currently the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Matthews, N.C., Smith officially takes over on Sept. 8. Johnson Ferry is saying there will be some “overlap” until November or December as outgoing pastor Rev. Bryant Wright moves into a new position with his Wright From the Heart Ministries nearby.
According to a message on the Johnson Ferry Baptist website, the two pastors will be splitting up preaching responsibilities during the transition and that “plans are being formulated for how to honor Bryant and Anne for their incredible ministry at Johnson Ferry.”
Wright was the inaugural senior pastor at Johnson Ferry Baptist, which was established in 1981. It now has more than 7,000 members. Wright also is a former two-time president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States.
Smith’s first Johnson Ferry sermon can be seen below:
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Given the deadly mass shootings at an El Paso, Texas Walmart over the weekend, Marietta Police are releasing details of a knife incident at Walmart store on Cobb Parkway Monday morning that led to the peaceful arrest of a man.
Marietta Police said officers were dispatched to the Walmart store at 210 Cobb Parkway (just south of the Big Chicken) at 7:49 a.m. Monday in what was labeled a family dispute. The initial 911 call indicated there were no weapons or injuries.
By the time police arrived, they were getting calls from the public and the 911 call was upgraded. That’s because a man later identified as the caller picked up a large kitchen knife from a store aisle and tried to remove the packaging. Police said he also was aggressively approaching a Walmart employee.
Marietta Police said officers found the suspect and arrested him without incident. He’s Jerry Wayne Thompson, 50, a white male of an unspecified address, who was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct.
They also said such an incident, where nobody got hurt or more serious charges were not filed, don’t alway warrant such a public explanation:
“The Marietta Police Department understands our community is concerned after the horrific shootings that occurred over the weekend in Texas and Ohio. We recognize how events like the one detailed above could cause the average person anxiety and are working now to organize another Civilian Response to Active Shooter Event (CRASE) training seminar. We will share the CRASE event details as soon as they are finalized. Today, we applaud Walmart for the coordinated and methodical way they worked with us to ensure everyone’s safety.”
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A car crash Sunday night brought down power lines at the intersection of Woodstock Road and Mabry Road in northeast Cobb, and that juncture will remain closed for most of today.
That’s the word from Cobb DOT, which issued that message and the above photo a little after 9 this morning.
Woodstock Road is also known as State Highway 92, and the stretch of it between Mabry and Sandy Plains Road goes past the Sandy Plains Village Shopping Centre.
Both northbound and southbound traffic on Woodstock Road is being diverted southbound onto Mabry, since the power lines are down across all lanes on Woodstock.
As you can see, the Monday morning commute has already been affected, and you’re being asked to find an alternative if you travel in that area today, especially for the afternoon rush.
For now the estimated time of reopening the intersection is between 3-5 p.m. Monday.
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Megan Bode is flanked by Cobb Fire investigator Brian Beaty (in black shirt) and Cobb Fire Chief Randy Crider, and Cobb Fire Department officials at Station 21 on Lower Roswell Road. Ken LeCroy (in suit) of the Georgia Arson Control Board presented her with a check for $8,500. (ECN photo by Wendy Parker)
It was 3:40 in the morning on Jan. 4, 2017, when Megan Bode got text messages from her estranged husband.
She was staying with her parents when the photos he texted her showed racing fuel on the floor of the garage of their Indian Hills condo and of him holding a butane lighter.
She previously received a call from him and feared he might kill himself, and was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher when she got the photos.
“I tried to talk him down, but he hung up,” Bode says now, remembering how at first her mother didn’t want her to go to the condo on Audobon Drive, but then drove her to the scene.
When they arrived, Bode’s home and several others at the Pinecrest at Indian Hills condominiums were engulfed in flames. Three units, including the condo Bode had shared with Matthew Olson—and from whom she had been separated—were destroyed.
Crews from Cobb Fire Station 21 on Lower Roswell Road were sent to an address in the 4000 block of Audobon Drive after someone there called 911 threatening suicide. They ended up working a devastating fire that broke out as people were sleeping.
Although nobody was injured, 21 trucks and emergency vehicles had battled the blaze that lit up the East Cobb sky.
“What he did was terrible,” Bode said of Olson, now her ex-husband, who was arrested that day. “He could have hurt people.”
Firefighters trying to put out a fire at the Pinecrest at Indian Hills condominiums on Jan. 4, 2017. Matthew Olson pleaded guilty to first-degree arson and was sentenced to six years in prison. (Cobb FD photo)
Olson, now 34, was charged with first-degree arson and more than a dozen other offenses. This June, after pleading guilty to arson, he received a 20-year sentence with six years to serve, and was ordered to pay $6,653 in restitution to Bode.
Olson also was sentenced to serve five years for attempting to elude a police officer, three years for possession of a controlled substance and 12 months for DUI, according to Cobb Superior Court Clerk’s Office records.
He pleaded guilty in June to those charges, stemming from his arrest in a vehicle on Johnson Ferry Road near Woodlawn Drive a few hours after the fire. The sentences are to run concurrently, and Olson is being credited with time served, according to the court records.
Cracking a tough type of crime
For giving investigators the photos and telling them of Olson’s stated intent to start the fire, Bode helped them solve what they say is one of the hardest crimes to prove.
“It’s because the evidence is being destroyed,” said Jimmy Taylor, Cobb deputy fire chief. “We rely a lot on what citizens can tell us.”
Megan Bode got a photo of racing fuel in the condo garage from Matthew Olson on the morning of the fire, and turned it over to investigators.(Cobb FD photo)
On Friday, Bode received an $8,500 check from the Georgia Arson Control Board at Station 21, and at the behest of Cobb fire investigator Brian Beaty, who investigated the fire that left her home an ashen rubble.
“I don’t feel like I was a hero,” said Bode, who got divorced, rebuilt the condo and lives there today while running 3-D Physiques, a fitness studio at Parkaire Landing Shopping Center.
“I was not expecting this at all.”
Beaty, currently Cobb’s chief fire investigator, said getting the photos made their case a lot easier.
“Usually, you don’t get photos” demonstrating such an intent to commit arson, he said.
To effectively fight crime, Cobb fire chief Randy Crider said, “it has to be a community effort. . . . Any cooperation we get from the citizens of Cobb County is greatly appreciated.”
Ken LeCroy, a consultant for the Georgia Arson Control Board, said the organization hands out around 10 rewards every year. The funding comes from the insurance industry.
He said the reward program is designed to encourage citizens to report arson without fear of retribution. Similar to Crimestoppers, they can offer tips anonymously. This case was different.
Another photo Matthew Olson texted to Megan Bode before the fire broke out. (Cobb FD photo)
“Ms. Bode did this because it was the right thing to do,” LeCroy said.
Rebuilding and moving on
Bode said that losing her home at the hands of her then-spouse was emotional, but she went to her job the day after the fire.
“It was a matter of sink or swim,” she said.
On July 11, Olson was moved to the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections, and his sentence has a maximum release date of January 2023.
His mother, Juli Olson, was grateful that her son was granted first-offender status with the consent of the victims. She wrote a letter in July to Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley that’s included in court records expressing “my complete and genuine thankfulness . . . for giving my son a second chance at a better and new future when he is released.”
Olson’s mother wrote “I can only imagine what Megan and those families went through those first excruciating hours and in the days, weeks, months and years following. My heart can believe it was hell on earth. The extreme emotional trauma and pain and the devastation of losing everything they had, is beyond words.”
Bode said that Matthew Olson, her former husband, “has been battling a lot of demons,” mainly addiction.
“I forgave him a long time ago,” she said. “I hope he can rebuild his life.”
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An East Cobb assisted living worker who last month was found not guilty of murder in the death of a resident there has been sentenced to 10 years for elder neglect.
Landon Terrel, a caregiver at the Sunrise at East Cobb facility on Johnson Ferry Road, was found guilty of that charge and was sentenced Friday by Cobb Superior Court Judge Lark Ingram.
He was ordered to serve five years in prison and the rest on probation, according to a statement issued by the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.
Terrel could have been facing a maximum of 20 years.
On July 17, Terrel was found not guilty of murder and two counts of elder abuse in the death of Adam Bennett, 91, a Sunrise resident who died after being found injured in his room in August 2017.
Jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict against Terrel for murder based on neglect and a mistrial was declared.
According to the DA’s office, Terrel was the only caregiver on the overnight shift at Sunrise of Aug. 15, 2017 when Bennett later complained to a daytime staffer that he had been punched by Terrel. According to testimony at the trial, Bennett motioned to his face, chest and groin and became unresponsive.
He was rushed to WellStar Kennestone Hospital but never regained consciousness and died three days later. The Cobb Medical Examiner’s office ruled the death was caused by blunt force trauma due to an assault.
During the trial, Terrel admitted he used “bad judgment” by ignoring Bennett’s cries that he was in pain. He denied that he struck Bennett, and said earlier in the evening he assisted the elderly man after he fell out of his bed and hit his chest on the bed.
The DA’s office said that two of Terrel’s coworkers testified during the sentencing hearing that other Sunrise residents had complained about him. Ingram also heard that Terrel had been fired from other caregiving jobs for neglecting patients.
“Adam Bennett died from painful injuries. He suffered, and the person responsible for easing that suffering did nothing,” Cobb senior assistant district attorney Jason Marbutt said before the sentencing.
Bennett’s son Doug Bennett said in a victim-impact statement that “my dad was a strong guy who had a strong heart. This man knows what he did. He took my father away.”
Terrel, now 35, of Powder Springs, has been in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center since his arrest on Aug. 16, 2017. He will be credited for time served as he completes his sentence.
Ingram also ordered that Terrel will not be allowed to care for elderly patients during probation.
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Because readers have been asking—and we’ve been wondering too—when the Mellow Mushroom location on Johnson Ferry Road will be opening, we asked the company.
Via a social media message, we were told sometime in the late fall, but no specific date was given.
Little has happened at the former Common Quarter/Muss & Turner’s space at Woodlawn Square since the sign went up in April, but now a contractor’s sign has been placed in the window, and some construction materials were sitting near the entrance.
When it opens, it will be the third Mellow Mushroom in East Cobb—to go with restaurants on Shallowford Road and Powers Ferry Road—and will be returning just north along Johnson Ferry from where the chain operated at the formerFountains at Olde Towne shopping center.
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A few major East Cobb roads will be closed off to traffic for a brief time Saturday morning for the 14th annual Dog Days Run.
The 5K race starts and ends at the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA (1055 E. Piedmont Road) at 7:30 a.m., and continues east along Sewell Mill Road, south on Old Canton Road, west along Roswell and back onto East Piedmont. See map below for details.
Most of the runners/joggers/walkers should be done between 8:30 and 9 a.m.
The event, which includes awards to top finishers, prizes, a bounce house for kids, vendors, food and music, is a main fundraiser for the Rotary Club of East Cobb, with proceeds going to a variety of community organizations.
Also on Saturday morning is the Lutzie 43 Road Race, which starts at 8 a.m. and takes place entirely on the campus of Lassiter High School (2601 Shallowford Road). It’s named after former Lassiter and Auburn football star Philip Lutzenkirchen and benefits the foundation his family started in his memory to help young people make good decisions.
If you’re interested in taking part in either event, there is race-day registration onsite, or you can sign up online today for the Dog Days Run.
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