PENS Dispatch - June 2015
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to the June edition of THE PENS DISPATCH. This bulletin is brought to you from the Cobb County Police, Precinct 4 Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU4) and is designed to keep you aware of safety alerts and crime trends in your area and measures you can take to keep you and your family safe.
The membership to Nextdoor.com continues to grow. In the past 30 days, Precinct IV has added 880 membership households. Congratulations to 413 beat, who once again continues to reign supreme as they lead all county police beats by adding 197 households. 417 beat was second in the county with 116 households added. The detectives and officers at Precinct IV appreciate the support and involvement of our East Cobb community.
*** Our next PENS Community Meeting will be Tuesday, June 30, at the East Cobb
Government Center at 7:00 pm.
PUBLIC SAFETY TOPIC OF THE MONTH
With the 4th of July quickly approaching, we feel it is important to educate everybody about HB110. This is the recently passed “Fireworks Law” which takes effect July 1, 2015. HB 110 allows for the sale of fireworks in Georgia. This includes statewide sales and cannot be restricted by local governments and their jurisdictions. According to the House Bill, the term “Consumer Fireworks means any small fireworks devices containing restricted amounts of pyrotechnic composition, designed primarily to produce visible or audible effects by combustion, that comply with the construction, chemical composition, and labeling regulations of the United States Consumer Product Safety … and additionally shall mean Roman candles.”
Usage of Fireworks
• Fireworks can be used daily between the hours or 10:00 a.m. and midnight. On January 1, July 3, July 4 and December 31, fireworks can be used from 10:00 a.m. through 2:00 a.m.
• Fireworks cannot be exploded within 100 yards of a nuclear power facility or a gas station, or a facility that refines, processes, or blends gasoline.
CRIME TRENDS
Since the beginning of June, we have seen an increase in the theft of landscape equipment. The thieves mostly target landscape trucks and trailers. Lately, the equipment has been stolen when the crews park their vehicles for a lunch break. As a homeowner, be sure to record your serial numbers on all of your household items. Most of the time, the serial number is the only identifier aiding us in returning your property after a theft. Also, it is easier to recover stolen property and secure criminal charges against the subject in possession of the property.
Door-to-door solicitation has increased with the warmer weather. Protect yourself against illegal solicitors. Last month, I included an exhaustive list of the Cobb County ordinances governing door-to-door sales. In summary, by county ordinance, door-to-door solicitors must be registered with the county’s business license office. A registration badge must be worn by solicitors and will include their name, address, organization and a photograph. Solicitation without a registration badge is prohibited. Police will respond to reports of unregistered solicitors. Excluded from this are persons who solicit orders for goods, wares or merchandise, or other things of value from house to house for charitable organizations or purposes or on behalf of religious organizations, political organizations and political candidates.
With the beautiful weather, garage/yard sale season is upon us. We have received notification of a scam perpetrated by garage sale patrons where one member of the suspect party will engage in conversation and distract the homeowners while the other co-perpetrator(s) will steal items. As always, be ever vigilant and aware of your surroundings and visitors. This is especially true for garage sales as they are most often taking place at your home.
On a positive note, incidents of entering auto were cut in half in May, as compared to April. Through my constant badgering through PENS and Nextdoor.com, and your help in spreading the word, people have started to lock their car doors and close their garage doors. We had 15 incidents of entering auto in May after having suffered 30 incidents in April. Way to go East Cobb!!
Please understand you are just as important to us as we are to you as far as protecting the community and prosecuting the bad guys. There’s a great many more concerned citizens in East Cobb than there are police officers. Continue to share any crimes and suspicious activity with the police and your neighbors to keep everyone aware and watchful. As always, remember, “If you see something, say something.”
WHAT YOU, YOUR FAMILY, AND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CAN DO
• Lock your doors and remove your valuables from your vehicles.
• Keep your residences locked and use your alarm whenever you leave.
• Landscaping contractors, secure your equipment, especially back pack blowers, when not in use. They are usually stolen as a crime of opportunity.
• Call 911 when something or someone looks suspicious.
FEATURED ARRESTS (The below named offenders are innocent until proven guilty)
Beat 416
Robbery-Intimidation x2 and VGCSA-Possession of Schedule V Controlled Substance
Detective M.C. Gasque
On March 21, 2015 two suspects entered the Walgreen’s located on Roswell Road. Upon en-tering the business, both of the suspects proceeded to the pharmacy counter where one of the suspects donned a mask and jumped over the counter. This aggressive behavior placed the pharmacy staff in fear for their safety and caused them to run from the suspects. The masked suspect proceeded to steal two bottles of Promethazine Codeine Syrup, while the second sus-pect acted as look-out. Both suspects ran from the business on foot before entering a vehicle in the parking lot which was driven by an unidentified third suspect. The two suspects were arrested by Woodstock Police in the commission of similar robbery on April 24th. Subse-quently, the suspects were identified as Saabir Muhammad and Clarence Logan. Muhammad and Logan were both charged with Robbery-Intimidation for their actions on March 21st. The suspects have been linked to five pharmacy robberies across Metro Atlanta.
Beat 415
Theft by Taking, Card-Fraud-Financial Transaction (7 counts)
Detective R. Billington
On April 19, 2015 the victim was at her church on Lower Roswell Rd. The victim knelt to pray and left her purse on the pew behind her. The victim left the church and noticed that her wallet had been stolen. The victim later notified police that her credit card company had con-tact her with several fraudulent charges on her credit card. After further investigation it was uncovered that Lakeyta Warner stole the wallet and used the credit card at Walmart and online at JcPenny’s. Lakeyta Warner was interviewed and a partial confession was obtained with store surveillance footage filling in the rest. A warrant was secured for Lakeyta Warner, which at the time she was already in custody at Cobb ADC.
Beat 412
Burglary – Residence/Force
Detective C. Strayhorn
A home on Tynewick Walk in 412 beat was burglarized by forced entry on 04/10/2015. The perpetrator(s) stole a jar of change, a marching band medal, a Milwaukee tool bag, and a large value of jewelry the victims had collected over their 35 years of marriage. Conspicuously left undisturbed by the perpetrator(s) were the wedding rings, which the wife had left out in the open next to other jewelry that was stolen. The perpetrator(s) must have seen the wedding rings in plain sight next to the stolen jewelry.
The couple’s niece sold two necklaces stolen during the burglary to Flash Cash Pawn in Ma-bleton, GA on 04/20/2015. She also sold two sets of earrings and a pendant that were stolen during the burglary to Cash America Pawn in Mableton, GA on 05/19/2015.
After her arrest and when presented with the evidence against her, the niece admitted to hav-ing directed other burglars to break into the victims’ home and steal only the jar of change. The niece later recanted that story after spending a couple of days in jail, clarifying that she had only drunkenly told her friends that, hypothetically, if someone were to break into her aunt’s and uncle’s house while “hitting licks” in their quest to get rich, then that someone should only take the victim’s jar of change.
The offender remains in the Cobb County Jail with a bond of $33,220.00.
Beat 417
Offense: Criminal Damage to Property 1st Degree, Theft by Taking - Firearm
Detective K. Ashbaugh
On 5/18/2015 officers responded to a suspicious activity call on Columns Drive and discov-ered that someone had discharged a firearm multiple times inside of the residence. No one was injured in the incident. Subsequent investigation revealed that the suspect, an employee of the victim, had caused the damage while experiencing an episode of possible mental ill-ness. The suspect was taken to Kennestone Hospital for a psychological evaluation, and an arrest warrant was subsequently taken charging him with Criminal Damage to Property and Theft by Taking of a firearm.
Beat 413
Charge(s): 1st Degree Burglary (2cts), Financial Transaction Card Fraud (3cts)
Case cleared – Residential Burglary
Related case cleared – Residential Burglary
Related case cleared - Financial Transaction Card Fraud
Detective Sgt J.A. Love
On 05/06/2015, during the overnight hours, the suspect entered the open garage of a resi-dence on Watercrest Commons Circle. Once inside the garage, the suspect entered two unlocked vehicles. A wallet and sunglasses were stolen. The victim’s credit cards were im-mediately used at a gas station and Walmart. Video of a suspect was obtained from Walmart and a BOLO sent out to local law enforcement. Detectives from Roswell Police, having re-viewed the BOLO, contacted Cobb detectives stating that they had similar incidents in their jurisdiction and had developed a suspect. In cooperation with Roswell Detectives a search warrant was executed at the suspect’s home in Roswell resulting in the seizure of evidence of the crimes.
Follow up investigation showed the same suspect was involved in a similar crime back in February 2015. The offender was subsequently also charged in that crime.
Additionally the offender was charged with the fraudulent use of a credit card in Cobb that had been stolen in a similar burglary in Roswell on behalf of the Roswell Police Department.
Beat 414
Charge: Murderer Failure to Register/ Violation of the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Act (F.)
Detective M.C. Gasque
On April 27, 2015, Zone 4 uniform officers responded to an anonymous 911 call regarding shots fired in the Sedgefield Apartments, which was ultimately determined to be unfounded. Given the nature of the call, Cobb dispatch requested subscriber information from the service provider of the anonymous call. The cell phone used to place the 911 call was registered to a Jamie Person in Conyers, GA. Officer Rast recalled responding to a similar call in Sedgefield Apartments in which Jamie Person was listed as the anonymous caller. Officer Rast's report included a reference to the previous dispatch of similar nature. A subsequent investigation by Det. Gasque determined the same phone number had placed six anonymous 911 calls from Sedgefield Apartments since March 29, 2015.
Given the layout of the complex and the nature of the calls, it was determined these actions may be a possible attempt to lure officers into an ambush style assault. The investigation led to the owner of the phone being identified as Jamie L. Person of Bloomington, IL. Person is a registered sex offender and registered murderer/violent offender in the State of Illinois. Per-son is also a documented member of the Gangster Disciples Street Gang and outspoken critic of law enforcement. Following a Cobb Gang/Intel meeting, agents from the FBI Task Force met with Det. Gasque in hopes of furthering his investigation on the federal level. The Bloomington Police Department was able to prove that Jamie Person had left Illinois in viola-tion of his registered status. Bloomington Police believe that Person was acting as a critical role player in the distribution of illegal narcotics for the Gangster Disciples in the Atlanta area. A warrant was taken in Illinois for Jamie Person and he was arrested in Illinois on June 9, 2015, for Murderer Failure to Register/ Violation of the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Act (F.)
This concludes the June PENS bulletin.
Lieutenant Brian Kitchens
Precinct IV – Criminal Investigations Unit Commander