Police Blotter: Woman Robbed at Gunpoint Near Publix

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- Editor’s note: the following incidents were taken from the Sandy Springs Police Department’s Weekly Wrap Up compiled by Capt. Steve Rose, which contains some — not all — of the incidents that occurred July 27-Aug 3:

Robbery

• 300 Carpenter Drive, 30328, 7/30: The victim is a 29-year-old female who said the following took place around 11:30 p.m. She was in her apartment watching TV. She was in bed but got up to use the restroom. Upon returning to the bedroom she observed a man described as a black male wearing a black shirt and red hat. She said that he demanded money and took $600 in money orders and about thirty bucks in cash. He then left the location. She notified police about a half-hour later.
• A 36-year-old woman called police and said that she was in the parking lot near the Publix store
  around 10:30 p.m. when a man described as a black male came up to her and pulled a gun, got in, and told her to drive. She said she fell from the car, got up, and ran towards the Publix screaming for help. The man drove her car, a Kia, onto Spalding Drive, then east. In the car was her purse and contents including ID and credit cards. The suspect is a black male, 20’s, slim, around 5’9” and who wore dark clothing and a beanie style hat. He had a gun described similar to a Glock.

Burglary

• 5400 block of Mt. Vernon Parkway, 3032,8 7/30: New house, vacant. A Thermador range, Sharp drawer microwave and other miscellaneous cabinet drawers were stolen.
• 400 block of Winfield Glen Court, 30342, 8/2: The resident said sometime during the day someone accessed his home and took several items of jewelry.
• 1300 block of Indian Trail, 30339, 7/30: The complainant is a Realtor who said he found the garage door window broken and what looked like entry to the home. He did not know what, if anything, was missing
• 7700 block Roswell Road, 30350, 7/31: Someone gained entry to a public storage area and broke into several storage units sometime between 5 p.m. on the 30th and 9:30 a.m. on the 31st.
• 1000 block Brentwood Way, 30350, 8/1: A 25-year-old man said he was home and at about 2:45 a.m., found that someone had entered through a sliding door. The resident yelled at the man who then fled on foot. He saw him minutes later on the ground behind the victim’s porch and again yelled at the man who again, fled on foot. The report said the man probably lost his shoes in a gap between a fence so the second time the victim saw him, the perp was trying to retrieve them. He is described as a black male, 20 to 30 years old, black T-shirt, shorts and a black do-rag on his head. He said the suspect apologized to the victim as he fled.
• 5000 block Glenridge Drive, 30342, 8/1 (Qdoba): The manager opened the store and found the front door unlocked. He saw that the alarm was not activated and found the safe open and deposits missing. There were no signs of forced entry to the door or safe. Video of the burglary shows two suspects gaining entry without force. CID detectives have two very good suspects on this case.
• 8700 block of Roswell Road, 30350, 8/1 (Eye Care Lawn Care): The complainant said someone forced a narrow hole in the rear wall of the business and entered. Missing are several pieces of lawn equipment.
• 200 block Marsh Trail Circle, 30350, 8/1: The resident came home about 4:20 p.m. and found that his front door to his apartment was opened and the deadbolt damaged. Nothing was reported missing.

Thefts

• 215 Northwood Drive, 30342, 7/27: Stolen Mitsubishi Eclipse
• 100 block of Austin Drive, 30328, 7/31: Stolen Mercedes S550 w/Florida tag
• 5300 block of Peachtree Dunwoody Road, 30342, 7/27: Stolen Infiniti QX56
• 145 Northwood Drive, 30342, 7/31: 2007 Nissan Altima
• 1000 block Brentwood Drive, 30350, 7/30: Stolen Fuji Roubaix bike
• 6189 Roswell Road, 30328, 7/27: Rental car not returned (theft by conversion)
• 700 block of Willow Creek Drive, 30328, 7/30: A 19-year-old man and his mother said someone got into his locked room at his apartment and stole an Xbox as well as some other things. They suspect one of the victim’s friends.
• 200 block of Sandy Springs Place, 30328, 7/30: A 63-year-old woman reported that someone stole two debit cards and $20 cash from her purse while she was at a retail store. The cards were later used at the Target Store in Smyrna for $232.
• 6280 PDR, 30328, 7/31: The 27-year-old victim said she and her husband were checking out of the Micro-Tel Hotel. She had all of her belongings but realized that she left her iPhone 6 and sunglasses in the room. Room staff had already entered the room. She found her sunglasses in the trash can in the room but the phone was gone. She called the number but it had been turned off.
• 8601 Roswell Road, 30350, 8/2: The owner of Ballroom Impact Atlanta said they hosted an event on the 30th of July. 150-200 guests attended. He later discovered that an HP Laptop was stolen as well as an Ultrabook laptop, and Samsung Galaxy cellphone.

Thefts From Vehicles

• 200 block Peacthree Hollow Court, 30328, 7/31: Wallet and contents, ID, glasses
• 600 block Abington Way, 30328, 7/31: Dark colored Audi and Chrysler 300 (six black males and females were seen earlier that night checking door handles in the area)
• 5810 Roswell Road, 30328, 8/1: Stereo and DVD player
• 5200 block N. Powers Ferry Road, 30339, 8/1: Lawn equipment
• 200 block Old College Way, 30328, 8/1: Two landscape blowers (suspect: black male in a brown Kia)
• 400 block W. Spalding Dr., 30350, 8/1: Lawn equipment
• 1400 block Summit Springs Dr., 30350, 8/2: Rims and tires
• 1000 block Crestline Pkwy, 30342, 8/2: Nothing taken
• 769 Hammond Dr, 30328, 8/2: Several cars in the parking deck broken into
• 1400 block Summit Springs Dr, 30350, 8/2: Unknown
• 1125 Hammond Dr, 30328, 8/3: Papers and sunglasses

Assault

• 400 block of Summer Drive, 30350, 7/30: A 15-year-old juvenile said he and his friends were at the pool around 7:45 p.m. when a man, described as a black male, 5’10” and 200 pounds, wearing all black, became angry at the group and then punched the victim in the face. The man then threw several items into the pool He then fled on foot. The victim had no visible injury to his face.
• 285/400, 30328, 8/1: The complaint told police that she and others with her, were at the Taboo 2 Club on Roswell Road. They left and got into their car. As they backed out they had a confrontation with two females who had honked at them. Another male got out to stop the fight, as did security. After a lot of yelling, everyone got into their cars and left. The complainant said she passed the BP on Hammond and saw one of the others who were in the fight. She recognized a second, and then a third car at the same location. The three cars then pulled out and followed her. She drove as to evade them, getting on I-285 east. One of the cars, a Dodge Magnum, caught up with her and someone on the driver’s side of that car, shot at her, hitting the car’s tire causing her to pull over and stop on I-285. The suspects continued on.

Fraud

• 100 block Allen Road, 30328,7/27: The complainant said that someone used his business name and address to including Chase Bank (Chase Payment) and charged on the account.
• GA 400/I-285, 30328, 7/27: A 22-year-old woman said she allowed a friend to borrow her car on June 1. The following day, the woman who borrowed it received three citations from SSPD and during that time, presented the victim’s driver's license to the officer. The victim said she routinely leaves her license above the sun visor.
• Roswell Road and Stewart Drive, 30342, 7/30: A patrol officer stopped a green Oldsmobile around 3:40 a.m. The car pulled over on Stewart Drive and the driver, described as a black male, 6’1” and 170 pounds, wearing a solid blue shirt and black pants, fled on foot. Inside the car, the officer found a backpack with some counterfeit money and papers to print counterfeit money.
• A 21-year old woman said that she began working with an out-of-town company called Hyflaux
  Limited and corresponded with a man named Jim Bernando by e-mail. She received a check for $2,550 with (You’ll probably recognize this M.O.) instructions to deposit, purchase a computer and return the remaining funds. She deposited the check, but the bank caught it quickly, notifying her that it was fraud. A company called Hflux is an existing company specializing in water treatment. Capt. Steve Rose says: Sometimes the crooks will use a legit company for illegal means. I hope that you recognized this scam at the part where she received an unsolicited up-front check. If so, good for you. If not, keep reading because we get these frequently.
• A second complaint was filed regarding a man from Hyflaux Limited to mailed a woman a check for
  $2,550 with instructions to deposit, purchase a computer, and send back the balance. She deposited the check on the 30th and was informed on the 1st that the check was fake. Apparently she did not send him the balance from her personal account.

Other Things

• The owner of the Pak Mail Store called police regarding a package that he suspected of containing drugs. The person, to whom the package was intended for, came for the package but the owner told him he suspected it had drugs in it and refused, stating that the police were going to take a look at it. The man said he would wait outside but then left. Following a positive K-9 sniff, a search warrant was obtained. The package had four bags of marijuana that were taken into evidence. The detectives are investigating the person but no arrest has been made yet.
• A man reported that he let his child’s mother, AKA his ex, use his laptop, now she won’t give it back
  until, according to her, “He is exposed for what he truly is.” Rose: In my new book entitled “Divorce, and the Art of Getting Hosed,” on page 32, you’ll see the list of items that you should loan your ex. The page is blank.

Arrests

• Warrant - Clayton County Police: probation violation (DUI); Warrant - DeKalb County Police: probation violation (traffic); warrant - Atlanta Police Department: failure to appear (traffic); Warrant - Gwinnett Police: failure to appear (traffic); Warrant - Atlanta police: not listed; Warrant - Dunwoody Police Department: not listed; Warrant - Sandy Springs police: probation violation (traffic); Warrant - Cherokee County Sheriff's Office: failure to appear (traffic); Warrant - Fulton County Police: probation violation (traffic).
• 6400 PDR (Home Depot), 30328, 7/30: Cops were called to check on a man in the parking lot. The person in question was lying several feet from his car, engine running and music playing. The man was heavily intoxicated, so much so that he was oblivious to the ants crawling on and biting him. The officer managed to awaken the man and tried to make arrangements for someone to pick him up. The man then told the officer that he needed to be locked up because if not, he’ll return to get the car “and the chase will be on.” Armed with that information, the officer then told the man he was under arrest. The man then called the officer at least three choice cuss words and then asked him if he were married and where he lived. All this while he was banging his head on the divider between the front and back seat. He told the officer he should be arresting crackheads instead of drunks.
• Around 12:30 a.m., cops were called to Cedar Run regarding a man who was trying to open a side-
  window to an apartment. The caller was the fiancé of the suspect. When they pulled up, they saw him standing at the window apparently trying to get it open. The screen was lying on the ground next to it. She said her fiancé called her saying he was coming over after being at the strip club, adding that he had been drinking and using cocaine. She said that he becomes violent when he uses drugs and alcohol. He showed up and when she would let her in, he began to make threats to her. He was taken into custody and arrested. GCIC showed he’s on parole and on condition that he not use alcohol of drugs.
• 3000 block of Dunwoody Club Drive, 30350, 7/31: Around 4 a.m. an officer spotted a car on Dunwoody Club near Grapevine Run where, in the past, thefts from cars and taken place. He spotted a Nissan Altima at the intersection with his wheels left as if to turn. The driver of that car saw the officer, then turned his wheels right, in the opposite direction, which made the officer suspicious. The car drove off to the right and parked in the driveway of a home and turned off its headlights. The tag information showed several agencies have had contact with this vehicle in the past. After a few minutes, the officer, who drove back out to watch the area to see if the car would pull out again, drove back to the home where the car was. He again saw the car at the end of the driveway next to a wood line. The officer put the spotlight on the car and he could see the driver lying back, trying to be invisible. The officer pulled in to speak with the man who then exited his car and walked to the door. The officer spoke to the man who told him that he had returned from work at a bar in Atlanta. During this time, the man was trying to text /call someone on his phone. The man was later arrested for having drugs on him. The house that he pulled in to was someone whom he knew and was the person whom he was trying to reach on the phone. A second officer knocked on the man’s door several time before he finally answered naked. (Hello?) The man knew the suspect, but was not expecting him that night. The suspect was arrested for possessing cocaine.
• 227 Sandy Springs Place, 30328, 7/31: An employee of Teela Taqueria said she had a drunken black male in her restaurant who refused to leave and who had taken other patron’s keys and refused to return them. The officers spoke with the man, who became belligerent and said “You don’t know me!” (Why do they always say that?) The man got more resistant and eventually fought off the officer’s attempt to arrest him and restrain him. He later informed the officer that he knew “the government” and the officer would have to kill him in the parking lot. He was arrested and taken to jail without having to be killed.
• Cops were called to 6317 Roswell Road at Hudson Grille around 11:30 p.m. regarding a drunk
  female. The officers located her and recognized her from previous meetings. While talking with her, she informed the officer how much she hated the SSPD and slapped his hand and shoved him in the chest. This is of course is known as the foreplay leading to an arrest. In the car, she began banging her head against the divider (Why do they do that?). She said she had congestive heart failure so he detoured to the hospital. At the hospital, she became off the chain on behaving badly. She (loudly mind you,) called the officer the dreaded “N” word, several times and called him gay, (the “G” word) and said she wished he were not alive. She then announced that she would be voting for Trump. She then kicked and grabbed at the medical staff, screaming loudly, so she ended up in restraints. She was eventually released at the hospital on a copy of charges for disorderly conduct.
• 6300 Powers Ferry Road, 30339, 8/3: Officers were tipped off regarding a man wanted on several warrants. They located the man at the Powers Ferry Shopping Center near the Mardi Gras Club. Patrol and street-crimes personnel detained and then arrested him on existing warrants from Fulton County. They included various felony and misdemeanors, including drugs and possessing a firearm during the commission of a crime.
• 500 block North River Parkway, 30350, 8/3: A street-crimes officer on an unrelated follow up investigation on a runaway saw several young persons at the pool area grilling out and smoking weed. Also, none of them lived in the apartment complex. Officers were called to assist and made contact with the people at the pool. Two of them had guns on them — stolen from Atlanta. Another was wanted on warrants in Roswell. Those offenders were charged with firearms violations and possessing marijuana as well as “Molly.” Rose: What is the drug Molly? Glad you asked: Short version, it’s a redefined version of Ecstasy, a
  well known and well used party drug. MDMA (synthetic.) Big time use in the 80’s and 90’s.
• 1000 Johnson Ferry Road, 30342, 8/1: An off-duty officer working at Northside Hospital was informed by security of a man going into or attempting to go into vehicles in the parking lot. A witness pointed the man out to the officer who detained him. The man said he “only went into the van to get the purple bag.” The man was arrested for entering auto and the property recovered.
• 5610 Roswell Road (Target), 30342, 8/1: Target loss-prevention staff detained a man after observing him remove two DVD’s from the box and stashing them. The man said he was going to pay for them, I suppose after removing them from the box. He’s been suspected of stealing from the store before but this is the first time he’s been caught. He was taken to jail.
• 7840 Roswell Road, 30350, 8/3: A man came to SSPD to get a work permit. He was run on GCIC and came back wanted for forgery in Fulton County. He was arrested. Rose: Heads up: we check backgrounds on all permits. I thought everyone knew that.
• 1100 Hammond Drive, 30328, 8/4: A street-crimes officer spotted a man making tracks between the shopping center and the rear entrances to several hotels. The area has been hit frequently with thefts from cars. He stopped and spoke to the man. He smelled marijuana on him. He later found about 14 grams of weed on him. He was arrested.

Image via Sandy Springs Police