In November, 2006, Cobb voters approved a referendum asking the county to issue $40 million in bonds for the purchase of new park land without increasing the debt millage rate. During the nomination phase that followed, a citizen advisory committee evaluated a number of submitted tracts and presented their list of properties to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners for final selection.

As part of this initiative, the Mabry Park property was acquired by the county from Ed and Sue Mabry Harris. The Mabry family’s roots run deep in this part of Cobb County. And the Mabry Farm is unique, having received the Centennial Farm Award in recognition of it being a working farm run by the Mabry family for over 100 years.

The bond money only provides for the purchase of the green space land, not its development. The goal of the parks bond was to acquire the as much acreage as possible today before land prices go up even further. Private financial contributions demonstrate clearly to the county that the community is engaged in and committed to developing Mabry Park. This promotes the cause for additional public funding support from the county and other public sources.

If you’d like to get involved or make a donation, contact Friends of Mabry Park at:

3540 Lone Indian Way
Marietta, GA 30066
678-833-9132
contact@mabrypark.org

Homestead exemption is a tax savings on homestead property available to eligible homeowners. In Cobb, the Tax Commissioner’s Office processes all homestead exemption applications. Exemption applications are accepted year round. However, the original application must be received or U.S. Postmarked (a metered postmark is not accepted as proof of timely mailing) by April 1 to affect the 2010 taxes. Applications not received by the deadline will be processed for the following year.

Homeowners must own, occupy and claim the property as their legal residences on Jan. 1 to be eligible for any homestead exemption for that year. Homeowners must apply for each exemption for which they are eligible. The applicant’s name must appear on the deed to the property in order to qualify. Rental property does not qualify. Legal evidence of residency and U.S. citizenship, such as a copy of a Georgia driver’s license or Georgia ID card, must be provided. A non-citizen must provide legal authorization from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, such as Alien or I94 number. A current registration or receipt of motor vehicle taxes paid in Cobb must be provided for all personal vehicles owned at the time of application. The applicant may claim exemptions on only one property. A husband and wife constitute one “applicant” and may claim only one exemption. Exemptions are automatically renewed and the applicant need not reapply if the home has been refinanced. The Tax Commissioner’s Office must be notified in the event the applicant no longer qualifies for an exemption. Homeowners will be billed for any unqualified exemption received. Tax bills are mailed by Aug. 15 and payments must be received or U.S. Postmarked (a metered postmark is not accepted as proof of timely mailing) by Oct. 15. Detailed information and forms are available at www.cobbtax.org.

Here is the email;

This happened in Lake Fjord.

I was one house length away(my yard) from the bus stop yesterday waiting for the kids. A silver van stopped in front of me and waited. (in stead of going down to the bus and stopping, like he should have done) His windows were tinted so dark, I could not see anything. As soon as the kids got off the bus and ran toward me, he rolled down his window and asked if they were all mine. As I was answering “Yes”, I noticed a built in cage behind the front seats. At this point he took off. This all happened within a few seconds.

I don’t know if this is a threat or not, but I think we should be on the lookout for this guy. There was just too many red flags!

Black Male – Jamaican Accent – Approximately 40 – Silver Van / Black Windows (This is a family style van with, I believe, sliding doors on the side. It was not a work van and had no markings. Tristen said he saw dents in the back.)

End

What you and your neighbors can do-

Continue your vigilance with locking your car doors and removing valuables. I want to say that our Entering Auto reduction is a direct result of continuing efforts in educating citizens.

If there are any suspicious vehicles and persons around the school bus stops, they need to be called in to 9-1-1 immediately to afford the opportunity for police to be dispatched to investigate and report the incident. Reporting the incident only to the school will not assure the information will get to the police

Questions and Answers-

We received the following information on a recent scam by a crew claiming to be a gutter company. The name of the company is under current investigation and thus is not being released, however the information you need to be aware of is included as follows:

Want to report this incident in the hopes that others in the area do not succumb to this scam:

A grey pick up truck pulled up in front of my home Wednesday (2/21) and a stocky white male of about 35 knocked on my door to ask if I needed my gutters cleaned of debris. I agreed and his team (a constantly smoking mid 50′s white male with a thin build and a mid 50′s white female with no front teeth) put up ladders, started their blowers and went to work. When they finished, the younger man indicated that he found that our gutters were missing nails and were very close to coming off the roof and that there was a large area of open space between the gutter and the roof where critters could enter the attic space. He said he happened to have the tools in his truck and could fix this for an additional $200. I declined, but got his business card and they left. I called a roofer that I know and trust and he came over immediately and inspected the “damage”. He stated that there are no open spaces between the roof and the gutter and further he brought down several nails used to hold up the gutter and it appeared that they had been purposefully cut in half. The cut marks were new with no rust or debris from water and leaves which would seem to indicate it was recently done.

I believe this was a Scam in which the gutter-cleaners purposefully did the damage and then attempted to have the homeowner pay for additional repairs.

End of email.

Prevention tips-

Number one, watch and supervise any contract work being completed on your home. Secondly, be suspicious of contract work coming to your door. They may have targeted you as an unsuspecting victim of a bad business deal. If you need work done on your residence, you should look up the business your self and only hire them after you have done your homework and know what type of history the company has.

Note: If you agree to a bad deal, there could likely be no crime for police to investigate and charge. Without witnessing it, proving damage was done maliciously can prove to be difficult. You may be stuck with only civil litigation with the hopes of a civil court decision to get your money back.

Current crime trends-

There were no major Burglary trends with 414 beat having four residential burglaries.

Entering Autos remained low, however the ones we had were preventable. Here are a few examples.

Research Dr.-Two unlocked vehicles were entered with no items known to be missing.

Pine Meadow Dr.-Unlocked vehicle was entered. Left in the vehicle was an 8g Ipod and wallet with contents which were subsequently taken.

Field Creek Ct- No indication of forced entry. $ 70 cash, Bluetooth, binoculars were taken.

Bentley Rd (KinderCare Daycare Center)- Victim left her vehicle unlocked while she took her children into the center. When she returned to the car, someone had taken her purse that had been left on the seat.

E. Lake Dr (East Lake Apts)- Vehicle was parked unlocked. A Backpack, Oakley sunglasses, iPod shuffle, Oxycoden pills and Zanax pills all taken.

In the 416 and 414 beat area there were a number of vehicles stolen and later recovered in other apartment complexes. Most were vehicles left warming up in the morning hours.

We have seen a few more “high end” appliance thefts from unoccupied homes for sale. (One in 417 beat and two in 415 beat) Det. Yager participated this past week with the following raid with the Fulton County Multi-Jurisdictional Burglary task force. The following is the information from Sandy Springs Police:

On February 23rd, pursuant to an on-going investigation, the Fulton County Multi-Jurisdictional Burglary Task Force, in conjunction with Detectives from Cobb and Gwinnett Counties, executed a search warrant where over 25 stolen high end appliances were recovered. The suspects, Joseph Mobbs, Ken Devrick, and Tracy Devrick were all arrested and now face numerous felony charges in multiple jurisdictions.

Seized documents included pictures of suspected stolen merchandise listed on Craig’s List as well as shipping logs of stolen appliances being sent out of state. Some of you may have seen the story broadcasted on the major news channels Monday. As a result, many people have being calling in to report that they may have purchased some of these items.

End

We will be working in conjunction with that investigation to be sure that any of our related cases that we can solve do reach a resolution.

Significant Arrests-

417 Beat

021610 2334 hours.-555 Johnson Ferry Rd. (Johnson Ferry Animal Hospital)- Officer Hoffman and Officer Gasque responded to an auto accident with injuries on Johnson Ferry Rd. near Woodlawn Dr. During the course of their investigation of the accident it was determined that the driver was under the influence of some type of drug and/or alcohol. During an impound inventory of the vehicle they located multiple bottles of pills and inject able controlled substances which are commonly used in veterinary clinics.

Investigative follow up by Officer M.C. Gasque located forced entry through the rear window at the Johnson Ferry Animal Hospital. (Location suggested by Officer Hultberg) Multiple veterinary narcotics were taken from the business with matching markings to the bottles located in the suspect’s vehicle. Victim advised the suspect was a former employee with knowledge of the location.

Charges:

Burglary

V.G.C.S.A. Intent to Distribute, Possession

DUI

Failure to maintain lane

Suspended License

Arrested:

Augestad, Nathan

Marietta GA.

414 Beat

022310 1323 hrs- Bob Bettis Rd- while on routine patrol, Officer Goodman observed 4 teenagers walking around this residence. Upon further investigation he discovered that they had made entry from the rear of the house. Officer Goodman entered the residence and confronted the subjects in an upstairs bedroom. All subjects were Sprayberry High students skipping school. Also inside the room was drug paraphernalia, multiple DVD movies, video games, jewelry and cash. All subjects were arrested and charged with Criminal Trespass. The recovered property is being further investigated by CIU 4 Det. Clere.

Rumor Control-

We received the email chains involving suspicious vehicles in and around the bus stops in mainly the 413 and 415 beat areas. The newest email was about a silver van with the male with a Jamaican accent as seen in the Lake Fjord area. That somehow got tied together with the white Ford Taurus that had been sent to us the previous month in Meadow Chase. The driver of the Ford Taurus was stopped and dealt with the same week that we received the email through PENS about it. He has been identified and dealt with accordingly. I need to clarify that we have no reason to believe that these two vehicles are in any way connected. No police report was filed on the silver van nor did anyone call 9-1-1 at the time of occurrence. Below is the email on the Silver Van. The area had been patrolled heavily and we have had no further reports about it since. Again, I need to stress calling 9-1-1 when something like this occurs to get a beat car out to investigate immediately and get the incident reported.

Here is the email;

This happened in Lake Fjord.

I was one house length away(my yard) from the bus stop yesterday waiting for the kids. A silver van stopped in front of me and waited. (in stead of going down to the bus and stopping, like he should have done) His windows were tinted so dark, I could not see anything. As soon as the kids got off the bus and ran toward me, he rolled down his window and asked if they were all mine. As I was answering “Yes”, I noticed a built in cage behind the front seats. At this point he took off. This all happened within a few seconds.

I don’t know if this is a threat or not, but I think we should be on the lookout for this guy. There was just too many red flags!

Black Male – Jamaican Accent – Approximately 40 – Silver Van / Black Windows (This is a family style van with, I believe, sliding doors on the side. It was not a work van and had no markings. Tristen said he saw dents in the back.)

End

What you and your neighbors can do-

Continue your vigilance with locking your car doors and removing valuables. I want to say that our Entering Auto reduction is a direct result of continuing efforts in educating citizens.

If there are any suspicious vehicles and persons around the school bus stops, they need to be called in to 9-1-1 immediately to afford the opportunity for police to be dispatched to investigate and report the incident. Reporting the incident only to the school will not assure the information will get to the police

Be safe out there. Sgt Nelson

The Public Works Departments of Roswell, Alpharetta and Milton, along with Keep Roswell Beautiful are, once again, joining together to offer the residents in these areas a chance to clean out their garages, basements, and attics and dispose of unwanted items at no charge. On Saturday, March 20 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m., residents in Roswell, Alpharetta and Milton can bring items to the Roswell Public Works Division at 1810 Hembree Road. Proof of residency will be required (utility bills preferred – Roswell residents with the window decal do not need any other form of identification). This event has become so popular, please expect delays.

Some of the items that will be accepted are:

• Tires – must be off the rim, automobile tires only; limit four per car
• sofas
• tables
• refrigerators
• chairs
• washers
• dryers
• televisions
• deactivated cell phones

The following items will not be accepted:

• paint
• household hazardous waste
• any fluids including motor oil and anti-freeze
• household batteries
• construction and demolition materials
• yard waste

For proper disposal of the items not accepted please contact one of the following: Roswell Recycling Center – 770.442.8822 (motor oil, anti-freeze) The Pollution Prevention Assistance Division – www.p2ad.org/hhwguide.html Chadwick Landfill – 770.475.9868 (construction and demolition materials)

Materials will only be accepted at the site on the day of the event and only during the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Please note that the line will be cut off at 2 p.m.

For more information on the event please contact one of the following: Roswell residents should contact Janet Liberman at 770.641.3715 or jliberman@roswellgov.com Alpharetta and Milton residents should contact Terry Porter at 678.297.6200 or tporter@alpharetta.ga.us.

For more information please check the City of Roswell website at www.roswellgov.com or the Keep Roswell Beautiful website at www.keeproswellbeautiful.org.

We just had an East Cobb resident get ripped off for $7000 from their bank account through a card skimming incident. Here are the details:

I want to share the below e-mails with you because this is a real life East Cobb incident. This is a strong argument for the suggestion that you have two separate accounts, one with minimal funds just for ATM/debit card transactions and the other to manage your monthly bills and expenses. That would minimize your loss should your ATM account information be stolen.

It would be difficult to tell exactly when or how the account was compromised. I personally find it less likely that the waiter copied the information than the card being skimmed at a machine somewhere. Although, we have made a case in the past against a fast food restaurant employee for skimming information so I guess it’s possible.

Here it is:

Hi Lt. Chenoweth,

A neighbor just provided the account below of having their debit card info stolen, and then the thief used this info to drain their bank account — even while the debit card was still in their possession! Thought you might be interested in this for the PENS group. (Do you think there is much chance of catching whoever stole their debit card info?)

From my neighbor:

Yes it is OK to share this with Lt. Chenoweth, but please ask him to leave it anonymous.

In answer to your question, we suspect that my husband’s debit card number was stolen at a restaurant since at other merchants his debit card is never out of his sight. What I mean by that is at places like Target, Wal-Mart, Publix, Costco, etc. the customer scans their own card.

We believe a waiter sized us up while eating dinner one night and decided that we either had money (so funny since you have seen the size of our house and the age of our cars!!!) or were not the type of individuals to check our bank account on a regular basis. My husband and I are always friendly with our wait staff and almost always leave a 20% tip. We both used to work in restaurants while in college and respect the wait person’s position and the hard work involved. We are now wondering if our friendliness left us vulnerable and open to this type of crime.

Anyway, when paying at sit-down restaurants the waiter takes your card and runs it through the machine while out of your sight and then brings the card back to your table. This move allows ample opportunity to write down your debit card number, the three-digit security number that is located on the back of the card, and your name. Later, the thief looks up your home address, which is typically your billing address, in order to tie-out the address with your card number should the merchant require it for processing. At this point, they have enough information to do some serious damage.

All I can say is we were so naive. Because of the PENS alerts we have gotten into the habit of inspecting scanners at gas stations and ATMs, but we never thought about restaurants and other closely-held businesses as providing another resource for debit card number theft.

As they say, live and learn.

Hey Neighbors:

All of these e-mails that we have received from PENS and friends about debit card number theft is right on and should be heeded.

Sometime over the past couple weeks someone stole Ron’s debit card number (he still has the original card in his possession). Anyway, when we could not pay for dinner last night we were alerted that something was seriously wrong with his card and our joint checking account. To make a long story short, the thief has already stolen $7,000 worth of cash from our account from purchases made in and around Atlanta. Here is why the problem got so big so fast:

1) We rarely check our bank account balances since we are both accountants and keep an accurate check register. This is/was a major mistake on our part and will never happen again.

2) We had moved money over at the first of the month to cover the big expenses, i.e., mortgage, car payment, etc. Thieves know when to strike and it is when the cash is most likely to be available. Also, living in a “highly desirable zip code” is a major marker for us sitting ducks.

3) We have overdraft protection on our checking account which allowed them to continue to steal more cash from our account since the bank kept replenishing it and we were clueless since we did not check our account balances.

4) We trusted the bank to actually acknowledge the fraud alert immediately which they did not. The bank still managed to allow another $2,800+ debit to flow through the account this morning.

5) Lastly, and most frightening of all, these people know where we live.

We have traced our use of the debit card over the past month and the debit card number was most likely stolen by a local retailer’s employee. Again, we still have the original card in our possession and we have not withdrawn any cash from an ATM over the past few months.

Our apologies for such a long posting, but this matter has been devastating for our family and we hope never happens to your family. The domino affect has been great. Remember, this has been CASH stolen. There is recourse available, but it is not overnight and does not pay the bills that are currently awaiting payment.

What you and your neighbors can do-

The above incident is a good argument for maintaining two separate bank accounts. One with minimal funds just for your ATM/Debit card transactions and one for your general banking needs. That way, should your ATM/Debit account get compromised, you suffer minimal loss.

Arrest Cases:

Beat 413

4292 Revere Circle

Marietta, GA 30062

Theft by conversion

10/20/09 to 02/01/10 (10014094) On 10/20/09, an East Cobb County resident provided a deposit to an independent contractor for restoration work to be performed in the homeowners basement. The contractor, Alexander K. Smith (Orbit Carpet Care and Restoration), failed to honor the contract and has not returned to the job site since late October and has not been heard from since early December. An investigation into this matter by Detectives assigned to Cobb Police Precinct IV revealed two similar related incidents involving Smith which took place in Henry County. Based on our investigation, the facts and circumstances indicate Smith is a dedicated scam artist and residents living within Cobb County should be alerted to his methods and operation. To date, however, only one incident has been reported within Cobb County.

An arrest warrant for one count of felony theft by conversion was issued by the Magistrate Court of Cobb County in reference to this incident.

Arrested via warrant on 02/08/10:

Alexander K. Smith

McDonough, Georgia 30252

1 Felony count of Theft by conversion

Beat 412

Burglary/ Residence/ Force

082309 1400 to 082509 1800 hrs-Shady Hill Rd- vacant house for sale. Dacor stainless steel cooktop taken.

Beat 413

Burglary/ Residence/ Force

071009 0930 to 071109 1000 hrs- Robert Lane- vacant house for sale. Forced entry to a rear window. High end kitchen appliances stolen- Wolf cook top and a Viking built in oven.

Beat 417

Burglary/ Residence/ Force

111409 1500 to 112109 1345 hrs- Westbury Park Ct (Westbury Park)- vacant foreclosed residence. Rear door was found unlocked. Wolf appliances taken from the kitchen.

Beat 417

Burglary/ Residence/ Force

111409 1200 to 112309 1500 hours- Westbury Park Pl (Westbury Park)- Vacant residence. Rear windows had pry marks and was cracked.

Further investigation of a case where the suspect was charged with two counts of entering auto, Det. Yager found three other locations in the GPS unit of residential burglaries of vacant houses that had appliances taken. Warrant 01-W-1471 was issued for the suspect for three counts of residential burglaries and one residential burglary attempt.

Arrested via warrant on 021210:

Campbell, Marquise Delvon

Lithonia, GA 30058

Posted February 8th, 2010

The below is a B.O.L.O. on a suspicious person in the Mt Bethel school area. This was a late development on Friday as we (PENS) heard of this through the grapevine (thank you Wendy) and did some quick follow up investigation to determine its accuracy and the facts before sending it out. Right now, this is a suspicious person incident and the subject has not committed any violations at this time. Just be aware and educate your children on how to deal with suspicious activity. The below text is an email that was sent to me from our Precinct Desk Officer after he talked with the involved family. This was handled exactly how we would want a child to respond.

This information is being sent out just as an FYI, to alert Mt. Bethel families of an incident that occurred in New Bedford at a bus stop this past week.

Subject: Suspicious person Bedford Oaks

Sir,

The child who is 10 reported that after he got off the bus at Bedford Oaks Dr and Bedford Oaks PL he was approached by a hispanic male. 5’08-5’10 ( juveniles words were a little shorter than you and I am 6’00 even.) mustache extending to the edges of his lips, short dark hair, he was unsure of age, heavy set, wearing a red t shirt. The juvenile said the male was already standing outside of his white pickup truck. The juvenile told me that he thought maybe it was a neighbor or someone working for a neighbor until the man told him that his parents had an emergency and told him to pick the child up. The juvenile told me that at this point he ran home which was just a few houses away. Mom advised that she has no idea who or why this person might approach her son in particular. I contacted Sgt. Rolfe of Campus Police and he is now aware of the incident and he is going to contact Mt Bethel. If there is any other info you need I will get it.

PLEASE NOTE: Anyone or anything suspicious, should immediately be reported to Cobb County Police.

30,000 training vouchers will be issued to individuals interested in learning how to use Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Office programs. There are also advanced training vouchers for those interested in learning more about web development or database management.

The vouchers are good for certification exams that will help validate an individual’s skills to prospective employers.

More information can be found at Georgia Work Ready.

Georgia Work Ready was launched in 2006 to improve the job training and marketability of Georgia’s workforce and drive future economic growth for the state.

The Roswell Recycling Center will hold the first 2010 Shredfest on Saturday, February 13 from 8AM to 12PM, or until their truck is full. There is a limit of five boxes or 200 pounds of documents per vehicle so plan to get there early.

There are additional Shredfest dates scheduled for 2010 on May 15, August 14, and November 13.

Roswell and non-Roswell residents are welcome to participate. For more information, contact Trevor Williams at 770-442-8822 or twilliams01@roswellgov.com.

Please contact Fritz at fnivose@gmail.com if you can help. Thank you Fritz!

If you’re an iPod or iPhone user, you can also send monetary donations to the Red Cross through the iTunes store. Look for the below icon on the iTunes store home page.

Significant arrest update- Aggravated Assault / Glasgow Rd

COBB COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

PUBLIC INFORMATION RECORD

Incident(s) Brief:

***Update*** on Aggravated Assault (12/10/09 @ 2035 hours in Zone 4) The Cobb County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit is investigating an Aggravated Assault which occurred on Glasgow Road in Marietta, Georgia.

According to investigators, a homeowner and his wife arrived at their home on Glasgow Road and exited their vehicle. The couple was approached by a group of males who were armed with handguns. The male homeowner displayed a weapon of his own and gunfire was exchanged between the homeowner and suspects.

As a result of gunfire, the male homeowner was transported to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. One suspect was also transported to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. Another suspect who was not located at the scene was located at Emory Midtown Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

Raymond Reedy Jr., a 22 year old male from Atlanta, Georgia, was pronounced deceased at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.

Wayne Spear, a 19 year old male from Atlanta, Georgia, was treated for a gunshot wound at Emory Midtown Hospital. Spear has been charged with Felony Murder and Aggravated Assault.

Investigators have identified Willie Sinkfield, a 21 year old male from Atlanta, Georgia, as also being at the scene of the crime. Sinkfield has been charged with Felony Murder and Aggravated Assault.

At this time both Spear and Sinkfield are being held at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.

***UPDATE***

During the course of their investigation the Crimes Against Persons Unit developed information which identified Jonathan Lindley, a 22 year old male, as having fled the scene. Investigators obtained a warrant for his arrest.

On 01/13/10 Jonathan Lindley was arrested by agents with the United States Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force. Lindley has been charged with Felony Murder and Aggravated Assault and he is currently being held at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.

2010 Census is underway;

Here are some tips for you to remember;

Here is a link to the census bureau website that tells what questions they will ask-

http://2010.census.gov/partners/pdf/ConstituentFAQ.pdf

Remember this;

If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, he or she will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice.

Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.

Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census.

Twitter-

Don’t forget to sign up to follow Cobb Police Precinct Four PENS on Twitter.

Current crime trends-

Actually things are very, very quiet in East Cobb right now. All of our crime trends are extremely low this month. I gather the weather has played a huge role in keeping the criminals at bay.

We are still losing mail from mailboxes that contain gift cards.

Just a friendly reminder to not leave items of value exposed to theft inside your vehicle. Purses continue to be stolen.

Be safe out there. Lt Chenoweth