Latest news with #Winderweedle
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Gwinnett Police to launch weekly ‘Chief's Walks' to build community trust
Gwinnett County police are bringing back a classic approach to public safety this summer, walking the neighborhood and meeting residents face to face. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] This summer, the department will launch weekly 'Chief's Walks,' where high-ranking officers and command staff will spend Saturday mornings walking through different neighborhoods across the county. The goal is to build trust, listen to concerns, and make officers more visible in the communities they serve. 'They hope to (get) feedback from the community, get questions from the residents in the neighborhoods, and do some more in community engagement,' said Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle with the Gwinnett County Police Department. TRENDING STORIES: DeKalb County pastor involved in $2.5 million legal battle over deal to sell church Looking to buy a new home? Not in this neighborhood. The new trend hitting metro Atlanta Man accused of trying to bring gun into Braves game at Truist Park The walks will run from 9 to 10:30 in the morning every Saturday, with locations announced in advance. Police say the initiative is part of a broader summer plan that starts May 20, aimed at reducing crime and increasing engagement, especially as teens and young adults head into the summer months out of school. 'Typically, across the nation, there's a spike in crime over the summer months,' said Winderweedle. In addition to the walks, residents can expect increased patrols in places like malls, parks, and concert venues. Officers will use steady blue cruise lights on their vehicles, and crime suppression units will target some designated areas. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] However, the department says the heart of the plan is the face-to-face contact. 'Keeping teenagers and young adults out of trouble is a good task,' Winderweedle said.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Driver accused of leaving man with fractured skull in Gwinnett County hit-and-run
Gwinnett County police say a man was hit in a parking lot and left with a fractured skull as a driver, accused of reckless stunt driving, sped off without stopping. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] It happened just after noon last Saturday inside the Kroger shopping center on Buford Drive near Lawrenceville. According to police, the victim was standing beside his parked truck when a car came screeching through the lot, slammed into the back of his vehicle, and knocked him to the ground with such force that it fractured his skull. Witnesses rushed to help. The driver, they say, didn't stop to check on the 28-year-old victim or call for help. 'There were some witnesses on scene and they provided video of the suspect's vehicle and of the incident,' said Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle with the Gwinnett County Police Department. TRENDING STORIES: Police searching for grandmother, 2 young grandchildren missing in DeKalb County 'I was scared': Synthetic braiding hair linked to cancer-causing chemicals Gov. Kemp announces decision on Senate run in 2026, ending speculation Security cameras and eyewitness footage showed the BMW speeding away, its front end crumpled. Officers canvassed the area and soon spotted the same silver BMW, abandoned and leaking fluids, on a street a mile away. 'Another officer on scene was just driving in the area and happened upon the vehicle,' Winderweedle said. Near the home, officers met 22-year-old Jahmali Foster. At first, Foster allegedly claimed he wasn't the one driving. However, officers say the story quickly unraveled. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] 'They figured out that the male party, Foster, was the one who was actually driving the vehicle,' Winderweedle said. 'He had lied to the officers investigating.' Foster is now charged with felony hit and run, serious injury by vehicle, and reckless driving. Despite the brutal impact, the victim is expected to recover.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Yahoo
Gwinnett couple charged with taking $1 million from dead mother's pension
An 87-year-old Gwinnett County woman and her husband have been arrested in a case of identity theft, accused of pocketing more than $1 million in her deceased mother's pension payments for over a decade, according to arrest warrants. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Mary Ann Arceneaux, 87, and Ernest Arceneaux, 89, of Snellville were charged with identity theft fraud and theft by deception after an investigation by the Gwinnett County Police Department's Financial Electronic Crimes Unit. According to arrest warrants issued Dec. 10, Arceneaux's mother had been a California teacher who moved to Georgia after retiring in 1991. The mother died in June 2010, but authorities allege the Arceneaux couple never told the California State Teachers' Retirement System of her mother's death then doctored documents to give the appearance she was still alive. 'The daughter failed to notify anybody, the bank, the California Teacher Retirement System, or anybody that she had passed away,' said Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle with the Gwinnett County Police Department. The investigation revealed that beginning in May 2018, Arceneaux allegedly forged documents and submitted fraudulent proof of life forms to continue receiving her mother's pension payments. According to the affidavit, she created 'a new proof of life form with [her mother's] name and forged signature' each year. TRENDING STORIES: Metro Atlanta Whataburger employee allegedly swiped customer's card to pay probation fees High school principal behind bars after deputies called to Coweta County home 2 kids, 2 law enforcement officers hospitalized after fire in Barrow County Investigators allege these documents were notarized and mailed to the California State Teachers' Retirement System to maintain the flow of payments. The alleged fraud was discovered when officials found the mother's death certificate from 2010 while retirement system officials were conducting routine verification procedures. 'They were able to locate a death certificate on that former employee who was deceased in 2010,' Winderweedle said. The investigation found that the pension payments were deposited into a bank account and then moved to other accounts associated with Arceneaux, police said. The total amount allegedly defrauded since 2010 is listed as $1,166,862.69, according to arrest warrants. When asked about the allegations Tuesday, Mary Arceneaux denied them at her Snellville-area home but did not open her door to provide additional comments. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Arceneaux and her husband both posted bail after their arrests last week and are awaiting their trial dates. It remains unclear whether California will seek to recover the money. 'That would be potentially for the courts or the retirement system to try to work through and figure out,' Winderweedle said.
