– Decatur Patch
A man told Decatur police he was robbed of jewelry worth $109,745.11 when two masked men jumped out of a van and beat him in the Super 8 Motel parking lot.
The man said he had visited three stores July 7 in an attempt to sell the jewelry. About 7:30 p.m. he parked his 2011 Jeep Compass near the motel office at 917 Church St. and walked to the passenger side to get his leather bag holding the jewelry.
A silver van pulled up and two men wearing black masks came out of the passenger side.
One grabbed the victim from behind in a chokehold and threw him to the ground. Both men punched him in the face and torso.
They took the briefcase, jumped back in the van and headed south on Church Street. A third man drove. The victim called police.
Video surveillance cameras at the motel showed the assault and theft.
For more on this story, visit .
– Smyrna Patch
What would have been a routine prostitution sting for the Smyrna Police Department resulted in the recovery of a stolen firearm and an assortment of illegal drugs at a Smyrna hotel.
Officer Michael Smith said investigators uncovered the drugs and firearms after they set up a sting operation based on a lead they discovered on www.backpage.com.
“We’re seeing lots of people throughout metro Atlanta are using it as a means to further their prostitution activities,” he said.
Read more on .
– Sandy Springs Patch
The Church of Scientology received the go-ahead from the City of Sandy Springs to convert an office building into a church space, Tuesday night.
In a 5-1 vote, City Council approved zoning modification conditions to expand the office building, located at Glenridge Drive and Roswell Road.
The Church of Scientology sued the City of Sandy Springs in state and Federal District Court for discrimination, in 2009. Their request for modification included converting an underground parking deck into finished usable space. Although converting the building was approved, the city denied conversion of the parking deck saying 130 total parking spaces were required.
In February 2012, a Federal District Court judge sent the case to mediation. As a result, the church came up with a plan that meets the city requirements and allows the building to expand from 32,053 to 43,916 square feet.
During the previous City Council meeting, in June, members decided to delay a decision to grant expansion and settle the lawsuit, against legal counsel's advice.
has additional details.
Don’t miss any Oconee news. Subscribe to Oconee Patch’s free newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
