Local News
Police (Off)Beat | It's not just the phones that are smart
- A 20-year-old Atlanta man reported his cell phone stolen. The victim said he'd used the phone's tracking program and it indicated the purloined phone was near the intersection of Peachtree and Decatur streets in downtown Atlanta. Police arrived and saw a group of men hanging out. Police asked the theft victim to use another phone to call his stolen phone. The man who answered the stolen phone was arrested.
- A juvenile in Tucker told police he let a 19-year-old borrow his smartphone to make a call, but the older teen refused to give it back. When the victim protested, he was forced to turn over all his cash.
- Alpharetta police found a man slumped over the wheel of his car in a Kroger parking lot. Further investigation revealed a "needle filled with heroin" in his possession.
- The owner of a BMW told police she stole a car tag because she "couldn't afford" to buy one. She said she took the tag from a Honda parked at the Cobb County ministry where she lives.
- When DeKalb police ran the tag on a newish Infiniti M35, they knew something was up. Turns out the driver, a 26-year-old man from Mexico, stole the tag from a '93 Honda Accord before stealing the $30,000 Infiniti.
- Small vehicles can really help when it comes to parking. On Peachtree Street, a parking services employee put two boots on a scooter. When he returned, the two-wheeled conveyance -- and the two boots -- had ridden off into the sunset, presumably in the back of a pickup.
- A man Cobb police spotted cutting a chain off the gate to a Marietta car dealership was trying to escape with a new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
- A sleepy 48-year-old taking a nap alongside Ponce de Leon was told he couldn't nap on the sidewalk. The man, who was shirtless atop a sleeping bag, told officers he was too tired to complete the walk to his son's home. He was ticketed.
- An Alpharetta landlord asked police what to do with "numerous cabinets of patient medical information" left behind by two Abbey Court doctors.
- A Marietta woman said she was out with friends until 5 a.m. and when she returned home her live-in girlfriend "became jealous" and broke her nose.
- A 22-year-old Stone Mountain man pulled over for driving 65 in a 45 mph zone "smelled like marijuana" and had marijuana debris on the front of his shirt, police said. He was also sitting on a scale. Under the seat was 3.5 ounces of weed.
- An Alpharetta woman reportedly threw a cup of ice water at her husband because her daughter was not properly executing "a new dance move." The adults had to be separated for the evening.
- A young man pushing a very nice Honda lawnmower down University Avenue was asked by police to start it, but he seemed to have no idea how to use it. A background check confirmed the man was suspected of multiple home burglaries.
- A 22-year-old man with no proof of U.S. residence was pulled over on Buford Highway for driving a car without working taillights. He also didn't have a license or insurance. What he did have was "11 baggies" of cocaine ready for sale.
- A handcuffed man being booked into the Atlanta jail attempted to flee when he saw a garage door opening to admit another "jail wagon" full of inmates. The officer driving that vehicle stopped and chased the man, who, despite being handcuffed, tried to fight. "I will kill you cracker!" the man said before being swarmed.
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.
