Crime & Safety
2 Charged With Arson After Setting Fire To ATM (ICYMI)
The two suspects were charged with arson in connection to a fire at the Chase Bank ATM on Old Highway 5 in Holly Springs.
HOLLY SPRINGS, GA — Two men have been charged with arson in connection to a fire at an ATM reported early Monday, an incident police say was the latest in a series of similar occurrences around the state.
Officers with the Holly Springs Police Department were dispatched around 4:17 a.m. Monday, July 2 to an alarm call at the Chase Bank ATM at 6230 Old Highway 5, which is located in the shopping center anchored by Publix near East Cherokee Drive.
They arrived at the scene and were able to quickly arrest one suspect and the other was captured near the scene of the incident, the agency added. An investigation reveals gasoline was used to ignite the ATM, and detectives found a gas can and cylinder in a car found parked "close to the scene." The ATM was damaged, but no money was taken, Holly Springs police added.
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The police department said similar incidents have been reported in various cities and counties around Georgia, prompting a multi-jurisdictional investigation with local and federal law enforcement agencies.
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“Several communities have suffered with this type of crime," said Holly Springs Police Chief Mike Carswell. "The actions of our officers and investigators may have put an end to this recent spree of ATM crimes."
The suspects, Atlanta residents Jackieren LaQuawn Hughes and Jahkwe B. Aquart, have each been charged with arson in the first degree, felony theft by taking, reckless conduct, possession of tools for the commission of a crime and criminal attempt to commit theft. Aquart faces an additional charge of obstruction of an officer.
The pair was booked into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center early Monday and remain held without bond, said sheriff's office spokesperson Sgt. Marianne Kelley.
Photo: from left, Jackieren LaQuawn Hughes and Jahkwe B. Aquart. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office
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