Police Intercept Would-Be Thieves at Avalon Construction Site

ALPHARETTA, GA -- An officer working security at a construction site owned by Avalon was able to catch two alleged, would-be thieves last week in Alpharetta.

An officer was posted at the mixed-use development's site at 2200 Avalon Boulevard around 3 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 when he noticed a white U-Haul truck parked on the first floor of the Central Parking Deck.

According to an incident report released by the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety, the vehicle was backed into a parking space and a male subject exited the truck.

The officer turned his vehicle around and embarked on a search for the subject, who eventually disappeared from sight. While searching for the man, the officer said he witnessed two individuals run from the construction site towards the parking lot at Ted's Montana Grill.

After driving to that area, the officer saw different U-Haul van in the parking lot. The operator of the van, according to the report, was driving the vehicle with its headlights turned off.

The officer activated his emergency equipment, but the van refused to pull over. The officer pursued the van from First Street to S.R. 120/Old Milton Parkway westbound. The U-Haul van turned on Second Street and continued inside Avalon until it reached the valet parking office, the report states.

At that point, driver of the van parked the vehicle, exited the van and made a run for it, according to the report. The officer chased the suspect, but eventually lost sight of him.

However, two additional subjects were observed running towards the Central Parking Deck and got into the first U-Haul truck. That truck fled the scene, and the officer informed his colleagues that the vehicle was headed towards Old Milton Parkway.

Another Alpharetta officer located the van, and cut the vehicle off before it could exit the development.

The driver, identified as Douglass B. Henderson, 28, of Atlanta surrendered while passenger, Curtis Laverne Slaton, fled on foot.

Slaton, a 28-year-old male from Covington, was later discovered in a large drainage pipe by other officers who responded to the scene.

While processing the scene and vehicles involved, officers noticed seven spools of wire in the back of the truck, the report adds. The other U-Haul van was also "filled with several copper wire spools," and both vehicles were towed back to police headquarters.

The pair were each charged with criminal trespassing as well as loitering and prowling, and were booked into the Fulton County Jail's Alpharetta annex. Additional charges are pending, the report states.

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