Local News
Police (Off)Beat | Cheaters never win, but they do cry
- Cheaters never win: Police responding to reports of a man and woman fighting on Boulevard Place found a "body-sized hole" in an interior wall of the Atlanta home and a sobbing man in the kitchen. The house appeared to be ransacked. After questioning, the man yelled out "She went through my [bleeping] cell phone!"
- A 43-year-old Lithonia woman is in the DeKalb County jail after handing her granny the pawn ticket for her 3-carat diamond anniversary ring.
- A 72-year-old Decatur man had his son arrested on financial fraud charged for opening a Georgia Power account using his Social Security number. The bill was $194.
- A woman who works at a Druid Hills daycare center reported her credit card stolen. Her bank said charges were being made for bottled water at the Publix across the street. The store manager there showed the victim surveillance video of her card being used by a co-worker wearing bedroom slippers. While Atlanta police were at the store meeting with the victim, the thirsty suspect walked into the store. Water's free in jail.
- A soldier on leave from Ft. Sill was enjoying a snooze at the Buckhead Marriott when, at 7:30 a.m., his girlfriend entered the room and saw him sharing the bed with another woman. The girlfriend grabbed his car keys and stormed out. He knocked her over while trying to reclaim his keys. He faces domestic violence charges. The Army received a faxed copy of the police report.
- A 52-year-old man passed out next to an open and empty beer bottle on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway had a $10 bill in his left sock, a bag of crack in his right sock.
- A trio of men who hacked down a pear tree in downtown Cumming and dragged it down Ga. 20 behind a pickup truck, killing a neighborhood cat, were arrested. One of the men posted bond but was jailed the same day for driving under the influence of drugs.
- DeKalb police were visiting a woman who'd reported an abusive ex-boyfriend when the man called and said "Yo [bleep], I see you put me back on child support. I'm going to come over there and kill you and your baby." Police picked the man up in Stockbridge.
- Atlanta police responding to a report of shots being fired on southeast Atlanta's Simca Street saw a woman walking around in her home carrying a hunting rifle. Neighbors told police the woman was a former member of the U.S. Military, an alcoholic and had pulled a gun on people before. Earlier in the evening, she'd called police to complain about noisy kids playing in the street. No charges were filed.
- The former driver of a 1999 Pontiac told police he gave a young lady he met at a southwest Atlanta lounge a ride. He stopped at a Shell station and left the car running, probably to keep the AC running. When he came out of the store he saw "Tiffany" and his car disappearing north on Metropolitan Parkway.
- Four motorists pulled over on I-285 in Dunwoody had "no known address," no driver's licenses, no insurance, a stolen car tag and more than a pound of meth.
- A fast-food restaurant worker was involved in a fender bender on Monroe Drive and told police he'd never bothered to get a license. In his wallet were four paychecks totaling almost $4,000. I bet he cashes them real soon.
- A West End shopper was approached by a man who asked for a ride to a boarding house on Joseph Lowery Boulevard. The man said he'd pay for the ride, so the woman agreed. When they arrived, the man said he had a bundle of money he needed someone to safeguard. The driver agreed to keep it, but the man asked for collateral. She handed over a pair of $300 diamond earrings and a $36 money order. The man hopped out of the car and ran to a waiting car. The bundle of cash turned out to be stacks of newspaper.
About the Author
George Mathis has worked in the AJC newsroom since 1999 in a variety of roles including editing local news, blogger and columnist.
