2 Accused Of Taking Guns From Cars In Cherokee County

ACWORTH, GA — Two suspects have been charged in connection with last month's report of several entering auto occurring at homes in the Queensbury subdivision. Bernard Lee Murphy Jr. and Nardtavius Lee Jordan, both of Decatur, were booked into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center on March 22 on 14 counts each of entering auto, said sheriff's office spokesperson Sgt. Marianne Kelley.

The alleged incidents came to light after deputies with the sheriff's office were dispatched around 8 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 18 to several homes along Queensbury Run, which is located off Woodstock Road north of Ga. 92 near Acworth.

Several 9-1-1 calls were made by residents reporting their vehicles had been entered into by an unknown person. According to an incident report released by the sheriff's office, several vehicle were rummaged through, but no items were taken.

One SUV, a 2017 GMC Sierra, had a packet of cigarettes stolen, but the suspects left behind GoPro camera and other valuables. The suspects also did not take a wallet, spare keys and other valuables inside a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 that was parked under a carport next to a residence (For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here).

Two vehicles at another home on Queensbury Run, a 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and 2005 Lincoln Aviator, were both parked in the driveway and nothing of value was taken. A 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe parked in the driveway next to a home on Queensbury Run was also entered and rummaged through, but nothing of value was taken.

Police were informed by a resident that a suspicious vehicle, described as a silver or gay Dodge Charger, was seen cruising the neighborhood the previous day. The resident said a man was driving the car "slumped down," and the vehicle was seen traveling past one house three times within an hour. That resident also told deputies the same vehicle was see later in the evening "making another trip around the neighborhood," the incident report states.

A backpack and wrestling gear belonging to a child were both found in the middle of the road in the 1000 block of Queensbury Run, the report goes on to state. The backpack was determined to have been taken from one of two vehicles in front of the home where it was located. Two cars at the address on Queensbury Run, a 2012 GMC Acadia and a 2011 GMC Sierra, were both unlocked, but the suspects did not take the wallet, credit cards, social security cards or a driver's license that were inside the SUVs, the report adds.

In the 2000 block of Queensbury Drive, however, a Sig Sauer P220 .45 caliber handgun was stolen from a 2017 Dodge Charger. A loaded Springfield XD-9 firearm was stolen from a 2016 Jeep Wrangler, along with a spare magazine and a black Nintendo 3DS-XL with three or four games, the report indicates.

The owner of a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 also reported a missing firearm: Springfield XD Tactical 9mm pistol. There were also three loaded magazines for the pistol inside the truck that the suspects stole, the sheriff's office said.

The owners of a 2008 Kia Sorento and 2006 Ford F-250 also said their vehicles were entered into. Police found fingerprint smears on both sides of the pickup truck, but those could not be lifted for evidence. No items were taken from those vehicles.

Police note a wallet from a 2007 Toyota Camry was found in a yard at a home on Queensbury Run. When police tracked down the owner, she informed deputies nothing was missing from the wallet and nothing was taken from her Toyota.

One resident told deputies he had security footage of a man "rummaging through his unlocked personal car while another male attempted to enter his Cobb County police car," the report adds.

"The police car was locked and the second male walked away, while he was pointing what appeared to be a pistol towards the residence," the deputy wrote. "The male's actions appeared as if he was providing cover for the other suspect."

The sheriff's office was able to obtain additional security footage from another resident which showed four or five men allegedly entering autos in the area.

"It was apparent the group of thieves were looking for firearms and took advantage of unlocked motor
vehicles," the deputy notes.

Sgt. Kelley said both men remain held at the jail with $68,250 bond.

Photo: Bernard Murphy, left, and Nardtavius Jordan. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office