Canton Recognizes Citizens Who Assisted Robbery Investigation

The Canton Police Department has recognized two citizens who assisted investigators in the November 2013 robbery of a jewelry store.

Police Chief Robert Merchant presented both Johhannes Van Kints and Bret Brickles the agency’s Community Policing Partnership Award during the City Council’s meeting on Thursday.

On Nov. 22, 2013, two armed men entered the Cartersville Jewelry Exchange in the Walmart Shopping Center and took approximately $52,000 in jewelry and fled the scene in a pick-up truck.

Van Kints observed the suspects enter the truck and drive away towards Interstate 575. Thinking something was wrong, Van Kints decided to follow the vehicle and also activated his Go PRO camera and called Cherokee County E-911.

As he followed the vehicle, he relayed valuable information on the vehicle’s direction and a description of the clothing the suspects were wearing at the time.

When the subjects exited I-575 at Exit 14, Van Kints lost sight of the vehicle. Meanwhile, Brickles, who was on Marietta Highway, observed the suspects throwing clothing from the vehicle onto the roadway. He flagged down a Cherokee sheriff’s deputy and reported what he had observed. The clothing was retreived and matched the description provided by Van Kints.

The clothing was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Lab for processing, which resulted in a DNA match for both perpetrators.

“Mr. Van Kint and Mr. Brickles played a very important role in bringing this incident to a successful conclusion,” Merchant stated. “They provided valuable information on the suspect’s vehicle, direction of travel and clothing description.”

Photo: From left to right, chief Robert Merchant, Mr. Johannes Van Kints, Mr. Bret Brickles, Lt. German Rivas and Asst. Chief Mark Mitchell. Credit: Stan Oliver