Arrest Made in Acworth Brush Fire

A Northeast Cobb resident has been charged with criminal damage to property in the second degree.

A Northeast Cobb man has been arrested in connection with a brush fire behind an Acworth business. About 3:19 p.m. on May 14, Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services responded to a brush fire behind Practix MFG LLC, 4000 Cantrell Road, that had been extinguished by employees. During the initial investigation, officials found "no identifiable accidental ignition in or around the fire origin," according to a Cobb County criminal warrant. When Cobb fire investigators returned to the scene on May 16 to interview Practix employees who discovered and reported the fire, Joseph Michael Pilgrim told them "that smoking was probably the cause of the fire," then led them to a pile of cigarette butts that "were not present at the time of the original …

• Photos (1)

Cobb to Offer Training for Emergency Volunteers

Classes begin this weekend; you must be 16 years or older to participate.

What do you do when professional emergency responders are not immediately available during disasters? Starting this Saturday, Cobb County residents can learn basic disaster response skills to prepare them for scenarios like this. The Community Emergency Response Team Program offers 20 hours of free training to qualified participants. Applicants must be at least 16 years old; pass a criminal background check; and live, work, or worship in Cobb. To apply for CERT Initial Training, send the CERT Initial Training Application and a copy of your Georgia driver's license to kristin.branaum@cobbcounty.org.

• Photos (1)

Precinct 4 Crime Blotter

The latest incident reports from Northeast Cobb.

Sunday, May 5 A theft by taking incident was reported in the 1500 block of Nuthatch Court. A burglary was reported via a forced entry at a residence in the 600 block of Terrell Mill Road. Criminal property damage was reported in the 1900 block of River Forest Drive. A theft by taking incident was reported in the 2900 block of Shallowford Road. A theft by taking incident was reported in the 1500 block of Collingwood Drive. Monday, May 6 A entering auto incident was reported in the 1700 block of Blackwillow Drive. An entering auto incident was reported in the 2500 block of Sandy Plains Road. An entering auto incident was reported in the 4100 block of Summit Drive. Tuesday, May 7 A theft by taking incident was reported in the 1100 block of …

• Photos (1)

I-75 Reopens After Robbery, Chase

About 10:54 a.m. today, the SunTrust Bank at 1755 Mars Hill Rd. was robbed, and a black woman drove away from the scene. Authorities pursued the woman all the way to Mt. Paran Road, where she wrecked her vehicle.

Is Life Getting Harder for Middle-Aged People?

The suicide rate for people aged 35 to 64 increased 30 percent from 1999 to 2010, the New York Times reports.

Are Americans in the middle of their lives being stretched to the breaking point? The first decade of this century witnessed a dramatic rise in suicides among middle-aged people, The New York Times reports. The increase, about 30 percent among 35- to 64-year olds, has raised the question of whether "a generation of baby boomers who have faced years of economic worry and easy access to prescription painkillers may be particularly vulnerable to self-inflicted harm," according to the Times. The paper cites a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official who says the financial and family situations of baby boomers might be creating unique stresses, such as taking care both of their aging parents and their young adult children. The …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

NE Cobb Businesses Pass Alcohol Check

Marietta Police recently conducted the checks.

The following businesses in Northeast Cobb recently passed alcohol compliance checks conducted by the Marietta Police Department: They were among the 45 businesses visited, a number of them in the East Cobb and Northeast Cobb areas. The compliance check results were released to the public Wednesday. Harry's Farmers Market and Dave and Busters are among six East Cobb businesses located in the city of Marietta that have been cited for selling alcohol to minors. Also failing alcohol compliance checks include the Mink's Package Store, North Marietta Elite Package Store and Racetrac location on Delk Road, as well as the El Ranchero restaurant at 562 Cobb Parkway South. During the checks, underage buyers working with police attempted to purchase…

• Photos (1)

New Charges for Cobb Bomb Suspect

Jody Wilson faces charges in connection with a similar threat in January.

The man arrested Tuesday after a bomb threat forced the evacuation of courthouses in Cobb and Cherokee counties faces five new charges in connection with a similar threat in January. Cherokee investigators had already secured arrest warrants for Jody Wilson for the Jan. 2 and May 7 threats. Cobb authorities stopped short of linking him to the earlier threat, and only charged him in connection with Tuesday's incident. Today, that changed. In Cobb, Wilson faces charges that include two counts of transmitting a false public alarm; two counts of preventing or disrupting lawful meetings, gatherings or processions; two counts of intimidation or injury of grand or petit or court officers; two counts of false statements in writing; and two counts …

• Photos (1)

NE Cobb Teen Accused of Stealing from Grandmother

He was arrested Saturday.

A Northeast Cobb teen is accused of stealing coins worth $20,000 from his grandmother. Crysostomos Stefanos Kavadellas, 18, was arrested Saturday in connection with that theft and another incident in which $7,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from a home in the 1200 block of Morgan Chase Terrace. Both alleged thefts occurred sometime between Feb. 1 and April 14, according to a Cobb County criminal warrant. The coins, which were never recovered, were taken from a home in the 2500 block of Wenatchee Drive. "Jewelry items were removed from the home by the accused, without the consent of the owner, for the purpose of selling the items in pawn shops or gold-buying stores," a Cobb County police officer wrote in the warrant. While none of the coins…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Man Charged With Pulling Syringe on Walmart Employee

David Leonard was arrested Thursday after an incident in the store's parking lot on Johnson Ferry Road.

An Atlanta man last week allegedly tried to stab with a syringe an employee at the Walmart Supercenter on Johnson Ferry Road. About 6:30 p.m. Thursday, a loss prevention employee confronted David Leonard in the parking lot after he allegedly walked out of the store without paying for a $398 HP desktop computer, according to a Cobb County criminal warrant. In the parking lot, Leonard allegedly reached into his right jacket pocket, pulled out a syringe and raised it toward the employee, a Cobb County police officer wrote in the warrant. "After looking at said victim, and then looking down at the syringe, said accused then did take the top cap off the syringe, exposing the needle, and did lunge forward at said victim," he wrote. Leonard …

• Photos (1)