Crime Spree With 13 Vehicle Thefts Lands Cherokee Man In Jail

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — After a spree of car thefts, a Cherokee County man has pleaded guilty. District Attorney Shannon Wallace said that Jacob Cole Henson, 26, was sentenced on Aug. 23 for a string of vehicle thefts and criminal acts that he committed during the summer of 2018. Henson entered a guilty plea to all 25 counts of the indictment related to the crime spree.

From July 21-Aug. 13, 2018, Henson was at large, taking motorcycles, ATVs, trucks, and a car, abandoning one vehicle then taking another. Thefts took place in Ball Ground, Canton, Holly Springs, and Waleska, as well as Bartow and Dawson counties.

The Cherokee Sheriff’s Office apprehended Henson on Aug. 13, 2018, in Waleska, after he stole a child’s dirt bike, wrecked it, then attempted to elude police on foot. He was eventually captured with the assistance of a resident who held him at gunpoint until police arrived.

“Jacob Henson had no respect for anyone else’s property and for three weeks acted with total disregard of the law,” said Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Holly Varner, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the state. “The citizens of Cherokee County can rest assured that acting like an outlaw is not acceptable here and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Henson pleaded guilty to 11 counts of theft by taking (five trucks, three motorcycles, three ATVs), two counts of theft by receiving (one motorcycle and one car), two counts of fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer, two counts of burglary in the first degree, two counts of criminal damage to property, aggravated assault, reckless driving, reckless conduct, entering an automobile, criminal attempt to commit a felony, and failure to wear protective gear on a motorcycle.

Judge Ellen McElyea sentenced Henson to 20 years, with the first eight years to be served in the custody of the Department of Corrections and the remainder of the sentence is to be served on probation. Special conditions of the sentence include no contact with witnesses or victims, or their family members. Henson must also pay restitution to victims in the amount of $27,281, complete 320 hours of community service work, complete a substance abuse evaluation and follow any recommended treatment, as well as fulfill other general probation conditions.

“Mr. Henson’s crime spree terrorized Cherokee County residents to the extent that the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office warned people that he was ‘violent’ and ‘armed and dangerous.’ His criminal acts were senseless, violent, and dangerous,” Wallace said. “This kind of criminal behavior will simply not be tolerated here.”