Regional Roundup

Regional Roundup: Father Accused of Throwing Baby, Man Strikes Kitten with Tree Limb, and Toddler Shoots Self in Thumb

A look at top stories from Patch sites across Georgia.

Indictment Alleges Man Shook, Threw, Hit 8-Week-Old Baby - South Cobb Patch A 30-year-old Austell man has been indicted in connection with the beating of his 8-week-old son. The indictment, handed down Thursday, alleges that Joseph Rucker McFall shook, threw and hit the infant between Aug. 30, 2012, and Oct. 29, 2012. The baby suffered multiple broken bones, and an acute brain injury that is believed to have left him blind. Visit South Cobb Patch for more on this story.   Man Reportedly Strikes Kitten With Tree Limb, Says It Was Antagonizing His Pit Bull - Buford Patch A Buford man reportedly justified striking a kitten with a tree limb by saying the cat had been "acting like he was going to antagonize my pit bull." Michael Paul Labron …

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Regional Roundup

Regional Roundup: Abandoned Street Dog Travels 6,800 Miles, Snatch and Grab Turns Dangerous and Family Leaps From Burning Home

A look at top stories from Patch sites across Georgia.

Dog Travels 6,800 Miles Hoping For New Home - Decatur Patch Gordy is a 4-year old Egyptian street dog who was abandoned in Cairo this fall and spent five days patiently waiting in the same spot downtown where he was dumped. Every day he carefully watched everyone who came by, looking for his former family to come back and get him.  Fed on occasion by kindly soldiers and citizens who saw him standing there night and day, he was finally rescued by The Egyptian Society for Mercy To Animals (ESMA), a non-profit dedicated to helping homeless pets and wildlife in a society that very often considers such animals to be disposable. Still, how did he get to Georgia? Find out on Decatur Patch.   Snatch and Grab at Mall Turns Dangerous - Dunwoody …

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Regional Roundup: Chase Leads to Hotel Evacuation, Couple Found Dead in Home and Multi-State Pickpockets Sought by Police

A look at top Patch stories from around Georgia.

Police Capture Burglary Suspect After Foot Chase and Hotel Evacuation – Buckhead Patch Atlanta Police arrested a burglary suspect who led them on a foot chase across Highway 400 before running into an empty room at a nearby Buckhead hotel around noon. Zone 2 officers responded to an audible alarm at a residence on Pinetree Road when they noticed a man riding on a bike in the area of two recent burglaries. The biker fled from police, running on foot across Highway 400 and into a room being cleaned at Country Inn Suites in Buckhead on Piedmont Road. Read more on Buckhead Patch.   Couple Found Dead in Home – Smyrna Patch Smyrna police are investigating the double shooting death of a Smyrna couple that occurred late Wednesday. Authorities said…

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Regional Roundup: ‘Dreaded Bandit’ Captured, $1.1B Bus System Proposed and ‘Catching Fire’ Filming in Metro Area

A look at top Patch stories from around Georgia.

FBI Captures ‘Dreaded Bandit’ and Armed Robbery Crew With Help From Austell Police – South Cobb Patch The FBI was able to arrest four men, including one known as the "Dreaded Bandit," suspected of being part of an armed robbery crew, in Austell on Sept. 7, because of a traffic stop by an Austell Police officer. Sgt. Robert Sfreddo, conducted a traffic stop after receiving reports that these individuals were acting in a suspicious manner at the PNC Bank, located at 2913 Veterans Memorial Parkway in Austell. The suspects were driving a silver Buick Park Avenue, which officers knew as the vehicle described in an earlier area bank robbery. Read more on South Cobb Patch.   $1.1B Bus System Service Proposed – Midtown Patch The Cobb County Board …

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Regional Roundup: Sexual Assault Arrest, Bar Sign Protest and ‘Come Whores’ Invitation

A look at top Patch stories from around Georgia.

Coach Accused of Sexually Assaulting Minor – Marietta Patch Isuru Pasan Perera, 31, of Marietta was taken into custody without incident on Saturday, Sept. 8, and is being held without bond at the Cobb County Jail, according to Marietta Police. Police say Perera used his position to "coerce and intimidate the victim to commit multiple sexual acts against her.” The original incident occurred in June of 2010 when the female juvenile victim attended the Champion Softball Complex located at 505 Commerce Park Drive.  Read more on Marietta Patch.   'Racist' Bar Sign: White House Smells Like Fried Chicken – South Cobb Patch A sign posted at Marietta’s Mulligan's Food and Spirits has some people calling the restaurant racist ... again. Recently, …

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Regional Roundup: Bank Robbery Arrests, Rabid Cat Attack and Barack Obama Park Name Request

A look at top Patch stories from around Georgia.

Arrests Made in Bank Robbery, Cops Looking for Fourth Suspect – Sandy Springs Patch Three of four suspects in an Aug. 30 Wells Fargo Bank robbery in Sandy Springs have been arrested and appeared before a U.S. Magistrate judge in Atlanta on Monday.  Police are still looking for the fourth suspect. According to a FBI Atlanta statement, two suspects were arrested following a routine traffic stop on Spring Street in Atlanta a day after the robbery. They were driving in the wrong direction in a Ford Focus. Shamir Guillaume, 20, of Atlanta and Sean Theodis, 26, of Virginia were taken into custody. Last Saturday, Sandy Springs Police arrested Rhakeem Butler, 22, in connection with the bank robbery. The fourth suspect being sought is Kelvin Purdic…

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Regional Roundup: Elderly Woman Struck, Serial Burglar Nabbed and Accused Furniture Thief Arrested

A look at top Patch stories from around Georgia.

Elderly Woman Struck by SUV – Canton–Sixes Patch A woman who appeared to be in her late 60s was flown to Grady Hospital in Atlanta after an SUV struck her in Canton's Great Sky subdivision on Aug. 29. Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services spokesman Tim Cavender said the agency, along with the Canton Fire Department, found the woman in the middle of the road. The woman, who has severe head trauma, is listed in critical condition, Cavender said. Read more on Canton-Sixes Patch.   Residents Help Police Nab Burglar – Midtown Patch Thanks to the vigilance of Virginia Highland residents, an accused burglar is now behind bars. Charles Echols, 54, is in the Fulton County Jail on 14 charges related to burglary, according to the Fulton County …

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Regional Roundup

Regional Roundup: Fake Traffic Stops, $#%@ Sign and Weekend Book Festival

A look at top Patch stories from around Georgia.

Police Warn Motorists to Be on the Lookout for Fake Traffic Stops – Woodstock Patch Across metro Atlanta, there have been several reports of fake traffic stops. Two police impersonators were involved in a July theft in Paulding County, according to Dallas-Hiram Patch. Hall County authorities in April arrested a Monroe man who allegedly pretended to be a police officer, according to CBS Atlanta. "In light of recent events in neighboring jurisdictions, the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office would like to advise motorists that if they are ever in the process of being pulled over, there are certain steps they can take to reassure them it is a legitimate stop," Lt. Jay Baker, spokesman for the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, said in a Monday alert. …

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Regional Roundup: Family Dollar Protest, Rising Gas Prices and Hitchhiking Boa Constrictor

A look at top Patch stories from around Georgia.

Residents Protest at Family Dollar Construction Site – Cascade Patch "No Family Dollar" was chanted by over a dozen protesters that gathered at the site of the newest Family Dollar store on Friday, Aug. 24, located at Fairburn Road and Benjamin Mays Drive in southwest Atlanta. The stores have been in the forefront of residents' minds lately due to the fact that at least two stores are in the early stages of being erected in the area. Residents continue to express disappointment and anger that these stores are multiplying in the southwest Atlanta area.  A common statement, that can be heard throughout the neighborhood and at the protest from a NPU-H member is that, "Family Dollar brings crime (with it)."   See Cascade Patch for more on this…

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Regional Roundup: ‘Skimmer’ Sentenced, Pedestrians Killed and 21 Confirmed West Nile Cases

A look at top Patch stories from around Georgia.

Credit Card ‘Skimmer’ Sentenced to Prison – Alpharetta Patch More than 175 customers of a BP station in Alpharetta saw a little justice last week when the man who was convicted of "skimming" their credit and debit card information in 2008 was sentenced to five years in federal prison. Boris Toumasian, 25, of Glendale, Calif., who stole credit and debit card information from BP gas station customers and then used the information to create counterfeit cards, withdraw money from the customers’ bank accounts, and buy electronics, was sentenced Aug. 24 by U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten to serve five years in federal prison on charges of conspiracy, credit card fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Visit Alpharetta Patch for more on this …

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