Suspected Shoplifting Group Strikes Marketplace Boulevard Stores

Sections of this report are provided by the Cumming Police Department, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office and/or the Forsyth County Fire Department.

The Cumming Crime Corner and Fire is a public service to the community and is not a complete listing of all crime and fire activity. This report does not indicate a conviction.

Sharon Springs Park Car Windows Smashed

June 11, Forsyth County deputies responded to three different auto break-in calls. Owners reported that their windows had been smashed in and items stolen included cell phones, checkbooks along with purses containing credit cards and debit cards.

One of the credit cards was reported to have been used within minutes of the theft at a Shell station on Peachtree Parkway just down the street from the park to purchase fuel.

Alleged Fishermen Caught Stealing Auto Parts

June 11, a deputy while on patrol at Lanier Beach South Park noticed a man standing next to a SUV at the boat ramp. The deputy noticed a pipe was hanging down from the vehicle which he suspected was the catalytic converter. A Nissan truck parked next to the vehicle turned on its lights and proceeded to leave the park when the deputy initiated the stop.

 The driver a 20-year-old female and the passenger a 54-year-old male told the deputy they were just fishing. There were two rods in the back of the truck but they didn’t have any hooks, weights or lures on them nor were there any tackle boxes or bait in the truck.

What the deputy did find was a catalytic converter along with a wrench set that was open in the bed of the truck and a cordless sawzall on the passenger floor board. The passenger hands also had an extreme amount of grease on them and he had a fresh cut on his arm.

Further investigation lead to their arrest and during a search methamphetamine was found on the floor board and a zipper bag was found with three syringes, a green pill and a spoon. They were charged with three felony charges’ Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Synthetic Narcotics and Theft-Parts from Vehicle along with two misdemeanor charges of Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Related Items.

Alleged Bribe Offered To Deputy

June 11, a 24-year-old female was arrested after a deputy issued citations for DUI, Failure to Maintain Lane, Speeding and Open Container. The female while being arrested attempted to bribe the deputy by offering $300 to make the DUI charge “go away." She now has the added charge of Bribe-Offering which is a felony.

Suspected Shoplifting Group Strikes Marketplace Boulevard Stores

June 7, an officer with the Cumming Police Department was dispatched to on Marketplace Boulevard. An employee stated that a man and woman had entered the store and she and another employee recognized them from the description given for a group of suspects wanted in other theft cases in Kennesaw and Perimeter Mall. 

Video surveillance shows the man removing a pair of shoes from the shelf and put them on his feet. They were seen leaving in a Chevrolet Bonneville SLE.

The same officer was dispatched to also on Marketplace Boulevard with another shoplifting call. He met an employee who stated that five people had entered the store and were acting suspicious. During this time a black man left the store and then reentered at which time he proceeded to put clothing into a store supplied tote and then left the store. He then returned moments later and placed more items in the tote and again left.

The suspect’s description is that of a black man wearing green/tan shorts, white t-shirt and a tattoo on his right lower leg. His possible accomplice was a black woman with a red hair weave and a tattoo on her left forearm. Please forward any information to the .

Business Break-In

June 7, Transmissions For Less on Buford Highway called in reference to a burglary. The deputy met with the owner who stated that there was a forced entry through the rear glass roll up door. He further stated that his 36” flat screen TV and his DVD security system was stolen along with the tools of five of his employees.

It was also discovered that a customer’s car that was ready for pick up had been stolen. The vehicle is a 2005 Nissan Xterra bearing tag number AGQ-8331. The Snap-On tools and Matco tools reported stolen have an approximate value of $29,000. A former employee is a suspect in this theft and an investigation is underway.

Motorcycle Wrecked Trying to Flee

June 10, while on patrol a deputy noticed that a motorcycle crossed over the center line resulting in a chase. The deputy tried to initiate a stop on the driver who refused to pull over. The rider made a left hand turn on Mayfield Road and accelerated up the hill pulling away from the deputy. Near the top of the hill the deputy could see the rider was losing control of the bike followed by sparks flying and the bike sliding on the payment. The bike came to rest in the ditch with the rider lying just beyond it.

Fortunately the 40-year-old male had only minor injuries but has been charged with five misdemeanor charges of Fleeing, Failure to Maintain Lane, Driving With License Suspended, Traffic Violations and Suspended  Registration.

Residential Signs Stolen

June 7, a report was made to the in reference to the community of Windermere becoming a victim of expensive entrance and yard signs being stolen. It was reported that approximately 10 signs had been stolen over a two day period from the front entrances of many sections of the community and from different residence’s front yard.

For an updated list of Forsyth County's "Most Wanted" click here: Forsyth County Sheriff's Most Wanted.

Fire

Caption Jason Shivers with the Forsyth County Fire Department reported that there were 234 incident calls the week of June 6 – June 13. This is the first week there was not a structure fire only a minor cooking fire contained to a stove top. Other calls consisted of one vehicle fire, three brush fires, one dumpster fire, 134 medical emergencies, three gas leaks, one gas spill, two unauthorized burn calls, one authorized burn call, four no incidents found, two smoke scares and 21 false alarms.

Annual “Give Burn the Boot” Results 

Caption Shivers reported that the annual “Give Burns the Boot” drive raised $25,451 this year, a $3000 increase over last year.

“It’s all due to the efforts of our generous community," he said.

As earlier reported in Cumming Patch (see story), donations collected during the boot drive will be presented to the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation. The money is used for fire safety and prevention education, the support of medical facilities, and the assistance of burn survivors in their recovery.

Money raised will also go to Camp Oo-U-La®, Georgia’s only camp held exclusively for burn-injured children. Some collected funds will remain with the Forsyth County Fire Department, to support local education and prevention efforts.

For questions about this blotter, e-mail Liz Kennedy, Editor, Cumming.Patch