The first suspect arrested in a violent armed robbery near Kennesaw State University’s campus no longer faces charges in the case.
Madalyn Nicole Hooker, 17, of Woodstock, had all 12 charges she faced dismissed last week, according to Cobb County jail records. The teenager, who was previously being held in jail without bond, was subsequently released from custody.
She was arrested shortly after a large group broke into an apartment at the U Club on Frey about midnight Jan. 26, robbing and attacking two men while nearly beating a woman to death.
Hooker was among the first three suspects arrested in the case, which had grown to seven arrests before her dismissal. Two other suspects are still sought, Kennesaw police told Channel 2 Action News.
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During the incident, three victims were beaten at gunpoint, while one man was robbed of his iPhone 11 Pro Max, according to the suspects’ arrest warrants. A woman “could have been reasonably” killed due to the suspects punching and kicking her head and neck during the incident,” the warrants aid.
Seven other people were in the room and witnessed the attack but they were not harmed, police said. However, their presence led to each suspect being charged with seven counts of simple battery.
The apartment complex, which is off Frey Road, is within half a mile of KSU's main campus. U Club on Frey bills itself on its website as a community of "student apartments." University officials confirmed that none of the suspects are KSU students, but they could not confirm whether any of the victims are enrolled.
Hooker, Bryce Dowell, 17, of Hiram, and Dameyon Heck, 18, of Woodstock, were arrested about three weeks after the attack, while three more arrests were made two weeks later, according to jail records. The second wave of arrests consisted of Qwantavis Jeffery Lamar Evans, 21, Qwantrell Jarell Evans, 19, and Zavian Jermaine Stevenson, 17, all of Dallas.
MORE: 3 more arrested in armed robbery, assault that nearly killed woman near KSU campus
A seventh arrest, Joseph Michael Rodriguez, 18, of Dallas, was made Feb. 28. The suspects all face felony counts of aggravated assault and armed robbery in addition to the simple battery charges. They remain in jail without bond.
Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Before Hooker’s warrant was dismissed, it alleged that she admitted to police that she drove the group to the apartment complex, witnessed the robberies and then drove the group away from the scene.
When asked why her charges were dismissed, Kennesaw police spokesman Officer Scott Luther referred that question to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office. A DA’s Office spokeswoman told AJC.com that the judge did not “believe there was probable cause for the charges.”
Anyone with information on this incident or the two outstanding suspects are asked to contact Kennesaw police at 770-422-2505.
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