Cobb Police

Cobb Police limiting certain call responses; closing some offices

by

Cobb Police said Wednesday that they’re making some policy changes as county government goes into “limited operations status” due to the Coronavirus outbreak.Northeast Cobb car crash, Cops on Donut Shops

A release issued by Cobb Police said that while they’ll still respond to calls from the public that require the presence of officers, those that don’t will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

“In such cases residents may, after making an initial 911 call, get a call back from a police supervisor or an officer to make a report over the phone,” Cobb Police spokesman Sgt. Wayne Delk said in the release.

He also said the police department’s record’s office will be open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at headquarters (140 North Marietta Parkway, Marietta).

The lobby also will stay open, but citizens are asked that if they need to get copies of accident or incident reports to use the department’s website or call 770-499-3900 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

The department’s permit office is closed until further notice, and anyone wishing to or eligible to obtain an employment permit cannot get one until it reopens. Information is available by clicking here or by calling 770-499-3932 Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Also closed is the Cobb Police evidence unit, which will reopen on April 7. For any items that may be needed due to an emergency (medication, currency, house/car keys, etc.) the number to call is 770-499-4128 Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In Precinct 4, two Cobb Police Coffee With a Cop sessions have been cancelled: Thursday at the Janice Overbeck Real Estate office, and on March 26 at The Art Place.

Related stories

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Woman arrested in attempted Powers Ferry Road bank robbery

by

Powers Ferry Road bank robbed, Wells Fargo

Cobb Police said a woman was arrested Wednesday after an attempted robbery of a Wells Fargo Bank branch on Powers Ferry Road.

Police said Sandra Daniel, 66, was found in her vehicle near Delk Road and Bentley Way not long after the incident. That’s near the Wells Fargo branch at 1547 Powers Ferry Road, at Wildwood Parkway, where they said the attempted robbery occurred Wednesday afternoon.

Police said a female suspect handed a bank teller with a note saying she had a bomb, and demanded an undisclosed amount of cash.

A short time later, police said Daniel was taken into custody without incident.

Police have not provided further information.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Update: 2 teen pedestrians hit by car, seriously injured at Wheeler HS

by

Holt Road at Monterrey Drive, 3.9.199ó

UPDATED, 12:55 P.M. SUNDAY:

Cobb Police said two teenage pedestrians were seriously injured Saturday night, one of them with life-threatening injuries, after being struck by a car in front of Wheeler High School on Holt Road.

Officer Neil Penirelli, a spokesman for Cobb Police, said they were hit at 7:01 p.m. Saturday in the crosswalk between Wheeler and the former East Cobb Middle School by a black 2007 Mercedes Benz SLK350 driven by Nancy Valentine, 73, of Marietta.

She was traveling northbound on Holt Road when the accident occurred, Penirelli said. He added that the teenagers, who were not identified, were taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital.

He said the accident is still being investigated and that anyone with information is asked to contact  Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

ORIGINAL REPORT, 7:54 P.M SATURDAY:

Shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday a reader contacted us to say that several police cars were spotted heading up Holt Road northbound, from Eastvalley Elementary School and toward Wheeler High School, and that emergency sirens also could be heard.

We got over there around 7:30 p.m. and police had blocked off Holt at Monterey Drive and Beckwith Trail, which is just above the Wheeler campus.

Cobb Police said there is an accident investigation that’s underway.

If you head southbound on Holt from Robinson Road, you’ll be diverted onto Monterey or Beckwith.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

 

Man ejected from truck after Northeast Cobb car crash Monday

by

Cobb Police said a motorist was thrown from a pickup truck Monday morning in a collision with another vehicle at Canton Road and Piedmont Road.Northeast Cobb car crash

Officer Sarah O’Hara, a spokeswoman for Cobb Police, said Patrick Bruce, 38, of Marietta, was driving a maroon 1998 Ford F-150 north on Canton Road when the truck left the road.

The truck struck a utility pole and a stone wall before returning to Canton Road, then hit a black 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer SS, also heading north, according to police.

O’Hara said the Chevrolet driver was able to bring her vehicle to a stop at Canton and Old Piedmont Road, while Bruce was ejected during the collision.

O’Hara said Bruce was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the Chevrolet, Donna Kelley, 53, of Marietta, was not injured, police said.

O’Hara said the crash is still being investigated and that police expect to file charges. Anyone with information is asked to Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb robbery suspect escapes from WellStar Kennestone Hospital

by

Law enforcement agencies in the county are getting out word that a Cobb robbery suspect who was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital for medical observation has escaped.Jules Jackson, Cobb robbery suspect escapes

The man has been identified as Jules Jackson, 19, and the photo to the right was also released by Cobb Police and other agencies.

Police said Jackson slipped out of handcuffs and escaped out of a window at the hospital overnight on Friday morning. He was taken to Kennestone as a precaution after swallowing “a potentially dangerous amount” of narcotics before his arrest.

Police said “a large contingent” of officers from Cobb, Marietta and Powder Springs searched the area near the hospital, which was on a temporary lockdown but has since resumed regular operations.

Police also said there were no reported injuries and there is “no immediate cause for concern for the general public.”

Police said that on Thursday, Jackson and David Roberts, 26, were arrested for an armed robbery on Leland Drive, in an apartment complex off Windy Hill Road and near I-75.

Anyone with information about Jackson’s whereabout is asked to call 911 immediately.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb Police respond to Holly Springs Road suspicious person questions

by

In the wake of arrests made earlier this week in an attempted child abduction incident off Bells Ferry Road, some social media chatter centered on an individual spotted in some East Cobb neighborhoods, in particular around Holly Springs Road and the vicinity of Pope High School.Cobb Police, Holly Springs Road suspicious person

Cobb Police Lt. Nathan McCreary, who heads up criminal investigations for Precinct 4, has issued the following response to those citizens’ concerns:

The Cobb County Police Department is aware of the information that has been making rounds on social media platforms regarding a suspicious male in a black Nissan Maxima in the East Cobb area, specifically Holly Springs Road. Investigators have identified and spoken to the involved individual who was cooperative with the investigation. At this time, we have found no evidence of criminal activity associated with the vehicle or its driver.

We want to thank the citizens for their vigilance and encourage everyone to call 911 if they see a suspicious person or vehicles. Do not hesitate to use the emergency line to report any and all suspicious activity.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Pedestrian hospitalized in Northeast Cobb hit-and-run

by

Cobb Police said a man walking along Pete Shaw Road in Northeast Cobb Tuesday night was struck by a vehicle. Northeast Cobb hit-and-run

Officer Sarah OHara said that Kevin Scholfield, 36, of a Northeast Cobb address, was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital with injuries that are not expected to be life-threatening.

She said Scholfield was walking westbound on Pete Shaw between Regas Drive and Bramblebush Trail around 10 p.m. Tuesday when he was hit from behind by a vehicle, also headed west.

O’Hara said the vehicle fled the scene, and that when officers arrived, they found Scholfield was conscious and alert. However, police said he could not provide a description of the vehicle.

Anyone with information is asked to call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Police: East Cobb resident a victim of a moving company scam

by

Lt. Nathan McCreary of the Cobb Police Precinct 4 criminal investigations unit has sent out an alert today about a moving company scam that has claimed an East Cobb resident as a victim: Cobb Police, Powers Ferry Road crash

A citizen hired a moving company to move his entire life’s possession to a different state. The moving company had a website and seemed reputable. Once they arrived at the home and packed the victim’s belongings, the truck left the location and never delivered the property.

The victim then received phone calls stating his property was being held ransom and he needed to pay a large sum of money in order to get his property back. Once this was reported to police, one of our amazing detectives, Det. S. Penirelli, began looking into the case.

She found that the FBI and DOT investigators are currently working similar cases involving a Russian Crime Group. She identified a suspect and found a storage company that had two units rented in the name of the suspect, who was of Russian descent. A search warrant was obtained and a portion of the victim’s property was located in a storage unit.

The same unit was scheduled to go up for auction for non-payment for the storage unit. The storage company was cooperative and allowed the property to remain at their secure location until the victim could arrange to have it removed.

Warrants were obtained for the suspect, but he is likely no longer in the state of Georgia. Detective Penirelli is currently working with the DOT investigators to find potential locations of the remaining property.

Police are also encouraging you to consult with the Better Business Bureau, which has moving scam resources. More also from the U.S. Justice Department about a recent case involving moving scammers.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

UPDATE: Suspect arrested in vandalisms that include Noonday Baptist Church

by

Noonday Baptist Church vandalism, Cobb police

UPDATED, July 11, 12 p.m.

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

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

East Cobb News does not publish photographs of crime suspects before their cases have gone through the legal system, and then only if they are convicted or plead guilty and are sentenced.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More East Cobb public safety news

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Woman charged with vehicular homicide in fatal East Cobb crash

by

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

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

by

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

UPDATE: Motorcyclist dies after Johnson Ferry Road accident

by
East Cobb traffic alert, Johnson Ferry Road accident
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.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb Police release sketch of ‘fake cop’ suspect in Terrell Mill Road rape case

by

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 News post 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.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb Police issue ‘fake cop’ alert for suspect in Terrell Mill Road rape

by

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. Cobb Police

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.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Members of the ‘Ghostface Gangsters’ face federal, state charges

by
Ghostface Gangsters, Cobb Police
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.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

New Cobb Police Precinct 4 commander is Maj. Brian Batterton

by
Maj. Brian Batterton, Cobb Police Precinct 4
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.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Powers Ferry Road fast food restaurant robbed Sunday night

by

Jimmy Johns, 1337 Powers Ferry Road

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.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

Cobb public safety tax referendum proposal approved by commissioners

by
JoAnn Birrell, Cobb public safety tax referendum
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.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

SunTrust Bank robbed at Powers Ferry Road and Terrell Mill Road

by

SunTrust Bank, 1380 Powers Ferry Road

Cobb Police are searching for a man whom they say robbed a SunTrust Bank Wednesday at Terrell Mill Road and Powers Ferry Road.

The incident happened around 11:20 a.m. Wednesday at the SunTrust branch at 1380 Powers Ferry Road, located near the Terrell Mill Village Shopping Center.

Police say a black male entered the bank and handed a teller a note demanding cash, which he received, and that he left on foot.

There was no vehicle description, but Cobb Police further identified the suspect as being between 20-25 years old and weighing 175-180 pounds. Police said he last seen wearing a black baseball hat, a camouflaged hoodie a black jacket and blue jeans.

Police are asking anyone with information to call 770-499-3945.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!

East Cobb bank robbery suspect wanted by FBI in serial robbery investigation

by
East Cobb bank robbery, Regions Bank Roswell Road
Surveillance photos of the robbery suspect at the Regions Bank, 2486 Roswell Road, on Dec. 7. 

Following up the story about a bank robbery we posted last week during the midst of winter storm: The suspect in that incident at the Regions Bank on Roswell Road is wanted by the FBI for other robberies in metro Atlanta.

On Tuesday, the Atlanta field office of the FBI issued an alert asking for the public’s help in capturing the suspect whom they believe is responsible for five bank robberies since September. The FBI refers to him as the “Zombie Hat Bandit” due to the details of the hat he has worn during the robberies.

The inscription reads “Walking Dead-Beware I Bite” and the FBI believes the man who robbed the East Cobb bank is the same person shown below in a surveillance photo from another incident.

East Cobb bank robbery suspect

Last Thursday’s robbery in East Cobb is believed to be the last of those robberies, according to the FBI, which released information about the other robberies it is investigating:

  • Sept. 6, at 12:39 p.m., Regions Bank, 2419 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta. Suspect left in in a black Toyota Corolla (2014 to 2016);
  • Sept. 22, 2:23 p.m., Regions Bank, 6637 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. Wearing same outfit as in Sept. 6 robbery;
  • Oct. 16, Regions Bank, 6503 North Point Parkway, Alpharetta, Georgia. Same clothing as in September robberies;
  • Dec. 5, 11:45 a.m., Bank of America, 8755 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs.

The East Cobb Regions Bank branch robbed last week also was robbed during a serial robbery spree in 2016 that resulted in a 25-year prison sentence for a Marietta man.

The FBI further describes the suspect in this fall’s robberies as a black male, mid-to-late 30s with a medium build. He has some facial hair and wears a large black wrist watch and shirts that have the “Punisher” logo. He also has been described as occasionally carrying a small zippered bag.

The FBI asks anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, which offers a reward, and callers can remain anonymous.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

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!