Sandy Springs Police blotter, April 20-May 3

Capt. Steve Rose of the Sandy Springs Police Department provided the following information from the department’s records.  These incidents and arrests represent some, but not all, of the reports filed with Sandy Springs police between April 20 and May 3.

Robbery

5900 block of Roswell Road — On April 23, a 34-year old woman said she was at the ATM of her bank, just after 10 p.m., and as she was getting cash from the machine, two men approached her from a car on the other side of the ATM. One man pulled a gun and ordered her out of the car. A second man, also armed, pointed a gun at her. She got out of the car and the two fled in it, hitting the speed bump hard enough to damage the front end and undercarriage. Inside the car were her wallet, ID, credit card, $50 cash and her Samsung phone. Doraville PD later found the car, after it was wrecked. The suspects fled.

Avoid those ATMs after dark, if you can.

6900 block Roswell Road — On April 29, a 29-year-old woman told police that she was at her apartment complex and parked near the community mailboxes about 2 a.m., when she was approached by a man who asked if she wanted to buy a Falcons T-shirt. She said no and as she walked away, he demanded her money. She gave him $82. He then grabbed her by the hair and threw her down “stomping” on her several times. Another person, walking by, saw what happened and yelled at the suspect, who then fled. The man took the victim to the hospital, which is where she told police of the robbery.

Burglary

200 block of Trowbridge Road — On April 20, responding to an alarm, officers found evidence of a forced door. Speaking with the owner, who was out of town, he provided video of a suspect.

200 block of Franklin Road — On April 24, responding to an alarm, cops found an open door but no suspect inside. It appeared the door had been pried open.

5675 Roswell Road — On April 24, a maintenance storage room at an apartment complex was entered by force over the weekend. Freon and a tool kit were reported missing.

200 block of Colewood Way — On April 24, a resident reported a burglary in progress just after 5 a.m. He told the officers that he heard his garage door open and went downstairs. As he looked through a window from the house to the garage, he saw two men standing just outside the open garage door. He banged on the window and then heard glass breaking, and saw the two men run from the house and down the driveway. The two suspects had taken some items from his car. The garage door opener was missing and it was assumed they had located it, and then opened the door. In addition, a bullet apparently been fired that passed through a bathroom door and embedded into the bathroom’s baseboard, with fragments lying nearby. A next-door neighbor said he heard a gunshot and heard someone walking through the woods behind his home. He then heard a car start and drive off. He never had sight of either. Fortunately, no one was injured.

We talk about how most burglaries occur during the daytime hours when crooks hope and assume that you are gone to work—yet, this. Never say never. Investigating the noise could be dangerous. Hearing that was enough for the 911 call prior to checking it out. Be careful.

400 block of Franklin Road — On April 25, a vacant home for sale was entered through the door leading to the garage. The intruder stole a gas range.

1165 Perimeter Center — On April 28, the manager at a cafe reported that overnight someone forced open a side door and pried one of the cash registers, which was empty. The tool used was a butter knife. The officers lifted three prints from it. It appears the burglar tried to access the manager’s office but broke the handle to the door, then apparently gave up and left.

Detectives have good stuff on this burglary that will lead to an arrest for this, as well as at least one other burglary, soon.

9400 block of Roberts Drive — On May, 1, the resident said she was gone overnight and during that time, someone came into her home and took a 70-inch TV and an Apple TV. The entry was made through French doors that appeared to have been forced.

7900 block of Saddle Ridge Drive — The resident said between the April 10 and May 1, someone took several jewelry items from her bedroom closet.

1000 block of Curry Drive — On May 1, the complainant said he received an alarm just before 11 p.m., indicating that someone may have entered the property’s driveway that leads to a large nursery at the end of Curry Drive. He went to the location where he saw a man loading plants into a Range Rover. The complainant confronted the man, causing him to drop what he had, get into the vehicle and speed off. The tag was obtained but was registered to another vehicle.

Theft

5100 block of Roswell Road — On April 22, a 40-yearold woman said she believes she accidentally dropped her phone while shopping. It was stolen by someone who, according to the GPS, took it to the 1300 block of Graves Road in Norcross.

6400 block of Roswell Road — On April 24, a man reported that he loaned his Samsung cellphone to an employee at an adult club and that person later said the phone had been stolen. He received a location hit from Samsung, indicating the number had been changed.

6100 block of Peachtree-Dunwoody Road — On April 26, a hotel guest said she was attending a week-long class and at some point someone stole her laptop from the classroom. The room was supposed to be locked and secured allowing students to leave their items inside. The secured door was unlocked and open.

Never a good idea, by the way. It’s a laptop. Pick it up and take it with you.

4600 block of Roswell Road — On April 28, the manager of a cellphone company store reported a Samsung Galaxy S8 phone had been stolen from the store. The phone’s alarm battery was dead and thus the suspect was able to take the phone.

5300 block of Roswell Road — On April 29, a 32-year-old man parked his truck at a store and went inside while leaving the truck locked, but running. Witnesses said a beige car pulled up and a man got out, got into the truck, and left.

5800 block of Kingsport Drive — On April 29, an employee said one of the washing machines in a laundry room had been damaged and coin holder had been stolen. A witness said they saw a man damage the machine and steal the coin holder.

6700 block of Roswell Road — On May 1, the resident reported a 2006 Subaru Legacy had been stolen during the night. She stated in the report that her husband worked on the car that day and had accidentally left the keys in it.

7100 block of Stonington Drive — On May 1, the resident said her 2016 Audi A3 was stolen.

6100 block of Blue Stone Road — On May 1, someone stole a table and chairs.

4000 block of East Conway Drive — On May 2, the resident said she placed several checks in the outgoing mail on April 24. The following day, Atlanta Capital Bank called saying someone tried to cash her check for slightly more than $7,000. The suspect is also wanted for doing the same in Powder Springs, Ga.

7300 block of Roswell Road — On May 2, a vendor, stocking shelves at a grocery store, said he placed his phone on a table and turned away for a few minutes. During that time, someone took it.

1000 block of Jefferson Drive — On May 2, a 31-year-old man reported that a pair of size 11 Diamond Fairfax Slides were delivered to his door, confirmed by a neighbor who saw the delivery. Sometime after, someone took them.

Having no idea what Diamond Slides were, I went to the internet and discovered they are slippers with a diamond engraved, embossed, or otherwise imprinted on the top portion. They cost more than I want to pay for…slippers.

6600 block of Roswell Road — On May 2, a liquor store reported that a man stole a bottle of Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon, placed it in a bag, and left the store without paying. Apparently, the suspect handled another bottle, which he did not steal, and a fingerprint was lifted from it.

200 block of Sandy Springs Circle — On May 3, a 26-year-old woman reported her wallet was stolen from her purse while she was shopping at a grocery store.

6000 block of Kayron Drive — On May 4, a 56-year-old man said that about 3:35 a.m., his sensor alarm activated. He dressed and went outside, where he saw a man inside his Toyota RAV4. The man fled when the owner shined a flashlight on him. Nothing was taken from his car or the car parked next to it.

Thefts from Vehicles

Between April 20 and April 26, there were 14 thefts from vehicles. Between April 28 and May 3, there were seven thefts from vehicles.

Fraud

A 42-year-old man said he got the dreaded “IRS” call saying that he was going to be arrested. They said the police were listening on the line as they spoke. The victim hailed an Uber, went to his bank and pulled out $6,000. He proceeded to a discount electronics store and transferred the money to Apple Cards. He read off the numbers to the caller, who remained on the line, and who then said he owed another $2,000. So, he purchased more cards, sent more numbers from a nearby discount department store. On the way out of the store, he passed an Atlanta Police officer and explained what had happened. The officer immediately told him to hang up and that the caller was a fraud.

Arrests

Staff reported that a man came into a big-box store, placed a GE antenna down his trousers and walked out the door without paying for the antenna. Loss-prevention staff stopped the stiff-walking perp outside the store. He was later arrested and taken to Fulton Jail.

5570 Roswell Road — On April 25, employees at a big-box store detained a man after watching him conceal just over $544 in items beneath his vest and shirt. He was charged with felony shoplifting and taken to jail. On April 26, another person was detained after security saw him place four clothing items, valued at just over $40, in his book bag. He, too, was taken to jail.

5570 Roswell Road — On April 28, security officers stopped a woman who took fragrance and headphones, with a value of $114, and attempted to leave the store without paying. She struggled a bit, but then was detained for police. The staff knew her as a habitual shoplifter, having been accused of taking items from stores in Sandy Springs, Acworth, Douglasville and Dunwoody in the past. She was taken to jail.

6900 block of Roswell Road — On May 2, a patrol officer pulled a car over after observing that the decal on a 2017 VW Jetta was covered by the tag frame. He ran the tag on GCIC and was informed the owner was wanted for a probation violation for a homicide by vehicle in Fulton County. He pulled the car over and took the driver, confirmed to be the same person, into custody. She was transferred to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department.

5570 Roswell Road — On May 2, employees detained a man they said placed several DVDs down his trousers and then walked out of the store. The man was later charged with shoplifting the DVDs, which were valued at just over $42.

Other incidents

800 block of Hammond Drive— On April 22, a 34-year-old woman called police about 5 a.m. and reported the following: She was visiting a man whom she met on Halloween. She decided to leave, which upset her friend, who grabbed her by the neck and choked her before putting her out of the room. She called 911 before he left the room, stole her cellphone, and fled in a black Infinity.

A 26-year-old woman reported that she was billed from Emory and Grady Hospitals for $5,000 in treatments she did not receive.

A 37-year old man reported that while checking his credit history, he found 24 unauthorized accounts in his name since 2007.

2000 block of Dunwoody Club Drive — On May 3, a woman called police and reported that while at a community mailbox, retrieving mail for her company, she found a letter with a clear baggie that appeared to contain 3.4 grams of methamphetamine.