Latest news with #CobbCountyBureau
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Serial smasher accused of tossing rocks through windows of Cobb businesses
A man is accused of throwing rocks through windows and glass doors of numerous businesses in Cobb County. Investigators aren't sure what the motive was, but told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell the cost of the damage is in the thousands. Security camera video from some of the businesses helped police identify and arrest the suspect the same day. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'In the video, you can see where he was out on the street and threw that rock through the window, you can see where the glass comes in,' said Michael Harner, Chief Instructor of Yongsa Martial Arts. Bryant Philpot is accused of targeting six businesses in Smyrna and two others in Cobb County on May 20. 'Thousands of dollars worth of damage was caused at these businesses,' said Meredith Holt, Public Information Officer for the Smyrna Police Department. TRENDING STORIES: Tornado touches down in Henry County, 18-year-old critically injured 'Life doesn't feel real:' Family mourns GA 9-year-old found shot in car SWAT team, multiple DeKalb police units respond to barricaded suspect on Lavista Road Harner said he and his team spent hours cleaning before students arrived for martial arts classes. 'Four to five hours of cleaning up, we had to be really cautious of getting everything up off the ground because we didn't want anything to happen to our students. Their safety was the most important thing to us,' Harner said. 'They did a show up at one of the businesses where they actually brought him back to the business location and were able to positively identify him through that. This was solved the same day,' Holt said. Philpot is in jail facing criminal damage charges. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Cobb Co. teacher, wife accused of denying their children food and bathroom, confining them
A teacher and his wife are accused of child cruelty. Police say their teenagers were denied food at times and confined to their rooms. Police told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell that Steven and Anissa Griffin watched their children's every move through cameras they placed in all of their rooms. They are accused of putting alarms on the bedroom doors, and police say the children had to ask for permission to leave and use the bathroom or eat. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'If he does it to his own kids, his own flesh and blood, who's to say he wouldn't do that to someone else's children?' said Trey Whitaker, a Cobb resident. Steven Griffin was an English teacher at North Cobb High School but has since resigned. Noah Pines and Lawrence Zimmerman, attorneys for the Griffins, said they deny the allegations. 'In addition to the warrants painting an inaccurate and incomplete picture of the allegations against them, the warrants were factually and legally deficient.' Police say the crimes against the four children took place for more than a year. They are also charged with eavesdropping. Both parents are accused of confining their children to their rooms for days or months at a time, sometimes denying them food or use of the bathroom. Investigators say cameras the Griffins installed in the bedrooms made the children feel uncomfortable, as they were constantly being recorded. One of the teens told police he was living in the unfinished basement without heat or air conditioning. Another said the Griffins locked her out of the bathroom and she needed permission to use it. Newell stopped by the Griffins' home, but no one answered the door. The attorney representing Steven Griffin said his client is fighting the charges. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Dance studio trailer stolen in April back with owner in Austell
A stolen dance studio trailer, filled with props, is back with its owner. Someone stole the trailer in April. The owner of the dance studio told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell how her reporting helped reunite the owner with the trailer. A man found the stolen trailer in another county, about 40 minutes from the dance studio. Lisa Pillow, who owns Lisa's Dance Spot, said a report by Channel 2 Action News in April helped a man, who found the trailer, get it back to her. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'How and who would come to the studio and steal a trailer,' Pillow said back in April. In the more than a month since we last spoke to Pillow, she said she still doesn't know who stole the trailer just days before a competition. TRENDING STORIES: GA middle school teacher accused of holding scissors to student's throat Driver says 'great-grandmother was dying' after leading GA deputies on chase Shooting at GA graduation, prom after-party that injured 2 teens started over cellphone charger But she's glad somebody found it. 'I was just in shock, I really couldn't comprehend what he was saying,' Pillow said. As for what happened, a neighbor told the man who found the trailer that they might have seen a news story about the trailer on the news. 'It was not in front of any homes, just sitting there and he noticed the trailer did not have a tag or locks and he knew something was just off,' Pillow said. 'He googled WSBTV and saw the interview and walked over to the trailer and he could tell you could still see the logo but it was covered with black paint.' Inside, the man found Pillow's contact information and returned the trailer. 'Everything is still inside the trailer, it's unbelievable nothing was touched,' Pillow told Channel 2 Action News. Pillow now has two trailers, including a brand new one, thanks to donations from the community and a dance studio in Cobb County. Police said they don't know who stole the trailer and Pillow said the investigation is closed. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘It's dangerous:' Tenants at Cobb apartment complex detail history of problems
Some families are concerned about a Cobb County apartment complex they live in. Shanika Campbell told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell, she is moving out of the Silver Creek Apartment complex, on Riverside Parkway. 'It's dangerous, it's danger cause kids be running up and down the hallway,' said Campbell. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Campbell is referring to a ceiling in the lower-level breezeway of her building, that appears to be caving in. Outside of the building, there is a massive tree that tenants said toppled over during a storm last year. The security gate on the property is broken and numerous mailboxes are also broken. Some tenants told Newell the empty rusted pool has been closed for years. In 2024, Cobb County officials deemed one of the buildings on the property unsafe, but some residents who filed lawsuits against the owners and property management group refuse to leave. Tenant advocacy groups have stepped in to help, emailing city, county and state leaders, among other things. 'People don't truly understand what they are owed,' Stan Lucas, COO of Lease Wisely said. 'We just been updating residents to make sure to check their leases,' Founder of We Thrive in Riverside Rentals Association said. 'There have been multiple ownerships and property management changes over the last several years which has led to a lot of confusion a lack of paperwork and a lack of understanding of what those policies are,' Lucas said. READ MORE: Families who were ordered to leave 'unsafe' Cobb apartments now suing owners, property managers John Marti is the CEO of EMBA Management Group. Marti said his company began managing the property in 2023. Marti said he goes into distressed properties to turn them around. He told Newell the Silver Creek Apartments were purchased as a distressed property. He said revenue has taken a hit, due to a large number of tenants failing to pay rent, a problem he said he and the owners are addressing. 'The apartment complex still has it mortgage to pay, the insurance to pay, the utilities on the property and there's not enough money to pay those bills,' Marti said. 'The current owners have been putting their personal funds into the property to keep it afloat until we can get new investors in to do capitol repairs,' Marti said. The city of Mableton took over code enforcement in March. Mableton mayor Michael Owens said he and his team have visited Silver Creek Apartments. 'Advised them clearly to clean up the property. Address trash and overgrowth challenges that may be there and if I need to tell them again myself this will not be tolerated,' said Owens. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Parents reunite with officer who saved their choking baby
Six months after a newborn stopped breathing, his parents have reunited with the officer who saved his life. The reunion was met with gifts from the parents of Baby AJ to Austell Police Officer Rachel Seager. The biggest gift from AJ's parents is the long-lasting bond they now have with Seager. 'I relive it almost every day because it was hard. Who wants to lose a child?' AJ's mother, Ariel Williams, said. It's a night that she will never forget. 'In the midst of feeding him, I was like, 'He's choking.' I was on the phone with my wife,' Williams said. 'By the time I got down the stairs, Officer Seager was at the door,' Williams said. TRENDING STORIES: Video of fight involving teacher at DeKalb school being used in investigation 24 travelers banned after massive fight breaks out at Carnival Cruise Line terminal Metro Atlanta paramedic sentenced for raping woman he found asleep in her car 'I began child CPR, thrusting on his back,' Seager said. 'She was able to bring my baby back to me,' Williams said. Now, six months later, AJ and his parents have reunited with their hero. 'He is everything you could ask for,' Williams said about Baby AJ. The couple presented Seager with a poster. On it is a poem titled 'Guardian in Blue.' 'He's like a part of me now,' Seager said about AJ. The Williams couldn't agree more... 'It's not officer anything, she's (Auntie) TT Ray,' Williams said. AJ's mother told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell that she knows CPR, but in that moment, she was so shaken up, she didn't want to risk making a mistake. She did the right thing by calling 911.
