View from the cop: Crime & punishment
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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2007 > November > 20
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Arrest report: Crimes involving cats
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
These are some, but not all, incidents reported to the Sandy Springs Police over the past week.
Crimes involving cats
Cops were called to Windridge Drive late in the afternoon on the 12th. Angela said she went to her ex-boyfriend’s apartment. Her ex drove up in his car. Angela asked for the cat they once shared in their former blissful relationship. He said she owed him $60 for cat care. A friend of the ex named Taunna got into the argument and then slammed her hand in the car door. They left. Angela’s ex returned and gave her the cat.. He told her he met Taunna at a Roswell Bar and she gave him a ride. Angela had a bruised hand but refused treatment. The cat’s in therapy.
Scam of the Week (in progress)
A woman on Roswell Road received a check in the mail from “Trusted Alliance Reward Program” from a P.O. Box in Long Beach, California. She was given the good news that she had won $66,600. What do you think she did? She deposited the check into her bank account and later that same day, when she informed her friend, she was told this may be a scam. So far, no one had contacted her.
Sound Familiar?
A woman reported that while she was at the meat department at the Kroger on Sandy Springs Circle, a man approached her and shoved her cart out of the way while he began talking (loudly) about a ham. Later she found that her wallet was missing from her purse that was in the convenient ‘steal-me’ position on the shopping cart. The wallet contained $120 cash, credit cards, a check and her driver’s license. The man was dressed in a red coat. She did not see the second suspect.
Updates
Mr. Newton is in jail. He is the man we were looking for, who posed as a wealthy or semi-wealthy home buyer from New Jersey, who took a $5000 necklace from a high-end home in Sandy Springs. U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force arrested him late this afternoon in Richmond, Va. Detective Bailey is a happy detective.
Robbery
According to the victim, around 7 p.m. he pulled into his parking spot at his apartments on Treelodge Parkway and was approached by two men, one whom he recognized by his first name “Jamal.” One man pulled a gun and shot up into the air and then demanded the victim’s money. The victim ran from the men but they apparently took several items from his car. “Jamal” is a black male, 6-0” and 200 lbs, and was wearing dark clothing. The second man was slightly smaller.
The victim arrived home from work on Roswell Road around 9:30 p.m. When he got out of his car, a white Ford Expedition pulled up to him and three Hispanic men got out of the car. One of the men pointed a gun at him while ordering him not to look at his face. The men took the victim’s wallet and then left in the Expedition.
A man said that he came to Monterrey Parkway to pick up a friend. His friend called and told him that his assistance was no longer necessary. The man then turned around to leave and said that he saw “Frankie” coming from behind a building. Frankie and another guy pulled a gun and robbed him of his bank card and $200 cash. “Frankie” is a black male, light skin complexion, brown eyes, and corn-roll hair. He is 5-6” and 170 lbs. He wore a brown hoodie and dark pants. The second suspect is a black male, black hair, brown eyes, 6-3”, slender, and wore a red, white, and blue Braves cap, a black jacket, and dark pants.
Burglary
Someone forced entry into a storage shed behind a car rental business on Roswell Road. The burglar then entered the business up and over, coming down from the ceiling. He (or she? Could be; never know) tried but could not get into a safe.
Highpoint Road: Several items totaling over $4000 are missing.
Glenridge Drive: Apartment / door-kicker / i-Pod is missing.
Roswell Road: Apartment / door-kicker / $100 cash missing.
Roswell Road: Apartment / door-kicker / $1900 in electronics are missing.
Cedar Run: Apartment / door-kicker / an X-Box and a wireless box are missing.
Huntcliff Village Court: Door-kicker / apartment / electronic items totaling $4200 are missing.
Spring Creek Lane: Apartment burglary / door-kicker / $8 missing.
Someone entered the victim’s hotel room on Roswell Road and took three credit cards from his wallet. The cards were later used extensively in the 30080 zip code—that’d be Smyrna.
Theft
Two stolen water meters on Regency Circle.
If It Sounds Too Good to be True…
A woman reported that she met and agreed to purchase a 5-Series BMW from a man who said that he worked for a BMW dealer and could sell the car to her for half-price. They met over on Hightower Road. He took the money and entered an office building to supposedly get the title work done. He immediately tried to exit the back door. However, the victim had one of her friends posted at the back. He walked back inside and they did not see him afterwards. The police were called however they did not find the man.
Arrests
Isreal Cruz, 35 from Sandy Springs, and Jose Escobar-Vasquez, 33, from unknown, were arrested at the Target Store for shoplifting. One was the lookout and the other used a boxcutter to cut open small packages of electronics. They went to Doraville Jail. Why Doraville Jail you say? We contract with them, and if you want to know, they make the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for our customer’s lunches.
A man came home to his apartment and found that the front door had been kicked in. As he entered the apartment, he saw a man run to the bedroom. When officers arrived, they found the man exited the bedroom window. They were given a description of the suspect. One officer found several bullets and a Yankees baseball cap on a trail leading from the apartment area. Following the trail, the officer observed a man sitting on the back steps of an adjacent apartment. Next to the man was a backpack. As the officer approached the man, he took off. The man ran over to Osner Drive but was caught and placed in custody. After the man gave two fake names, officers found that his real name is 30-year old Lorenzo McQueen. In the backpack were several items from the burglary.
Antony Jerome Maddox, 43, from Sandy Springs was arrested for Shoplifting and Disorderly While Under the Influence at the CVS after he swiped a couple of cartons of Newports. The manger caught up to him, took the Newports back, and told Maddox to leave. Maddox got mad and belligerent and yelled some stuff and then left on foot. 911 was called and the officer found him a half-block away at the Chevron Station. He was arrested and placed in the back of the police car where he proceeded to bang his head against the screen and spit all over the place. If you choose to head-butt the protective screen in the back of the police car, remember that the screen has never finished in 2nd place. Stop that!
Overall, October and early November have not been kind to us. We saw a spike in property crimes, especially residential burglary and thefts from vehicles. The GPS is leading the league in being stolen. The pre-holiday trends have kicked in, evident by the number of game systems being taken in apartment burglaries. It really does make a difference if you take some time and do all that which I always ask which is take everything out of the car, even at night, at home, in the garage. Lock the garage door leading to the house and fire up the alarm system. This will make us happy and more productive humans.
Website on the Way
Sandy Springs residents have frequently asked about the department’s website. I’m happy to say that we have been cleared to begin our website design and have hired a company to begin production. We expect to have a top-notch site, compatible with other police departments of this size. We’re very happy about it and upon completion, you’ll be able to access much more information, downloadable forms, GIS mapping and many other features. The best part of this was that our funding is courtesy of our local drug dealers whose funds, after arrest and those funds seized were cleared for use, financed the project.
Have a good Turkey-Day!
