Drug Arrest on Ponce
GA Dept. of Corrections mugshot
In the early morning of 3/21, two police officers arrested an individual on felony drug charges who is frequently seen in the Ponce & Boulevard area. As two APD officers watched street activity from the former Wachovia property, they spotted 32-year-old Andrew A. jaywalking across the street. The officers immediately intercepted him to cite him for violation of pedestrian duties, and in the process developed probable cause to search him and found methamphetamines in his possession.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s office website later showed a booking for possession of Methamphetamines and a probation violation related to a previous conviction for theft by receiving stolen goods.
Background and research findings – This individual is seen frequently among the Ponce & Boulevard drug culture. He was recently convicted of theft by receiving, and is currently on probation for that case. Observant citizens have noted that he frequents some unidentified location near Charles Allen & 4th. Department of Corrections online records show felony convictions including Forgery in the First Degree, and two periods of incarceration.
We have requested that police and prosecutors keep us abreast on this case for court watch purposes, as part of our strategy to clean up the Ponce corridor.
- Profile Sheet with prison mugshot: http://www.midtownponce.org/news/profile196.pdf
MPSA Mailbag 3/19/2010
(Not necessarily the stance of the MPSA)
Undesirables on Ponce - I missed the meeting this evening because when I came home the undesirables on Ponce were swarming. There was a significant amount of activity next to Eats, and there were a large grouping of illegals grouped at the North side of the intersection of Ponce and Glen Iris. There was one individual that went behind the quad on PDL court. I had to chase him off, but he was hell-bent on finding his drugs that he stashed around the wall behind the beauty shop. I convinced him to leave and not return (I think). On Saturday I had two run ins while I was doing yard work. One a drunk black male in his 40s with a tracheotomy, and the other a drunk illegal who was trying to use the bathroom behind the dumpster that is next to the quad. When I confronted the illegal he ended up wetting his pants. These are a few examples of what I have been fearing would happen. The nice weather has brought t he undesirables out of the woodwork. Is there anything that we can do so that we don’t lose all the ground we’ve gained?
Door-to-door solicitors – This morning around 10:30 a young white man and woman (looked about high school age) knocked on my door asking for canned goods. I never open my door to strangers so I don’t know what their ‘real’ intention was (if any). But I write because they acted strange – they didn’t have a bag to keep the canned goods they collected (but they held a tin can of beans in their hands as if to look legitimate – - which only made me doubtful). And when I asked them what organization they represented they went blank and looked at each other (the girl started laughing and looked away while he groped for words). Finally they mumbled something about an unspecific church group. Have you heard anything about this? Was I right to be concerned? They didn’t look like your typical thugs (whatever that looks like), but I felt concerned enough to right this email. MPSA Response: We strongly urge you not to open doors to unexpected visitors. In this case the can of beans could be used as a weapon. Please call 911 to report these individuals. Sgt. Cooper did intercept these individuals and found that they were acting on behalf of a church in Birmingham. City ordinance requires a permit for door-to-door solicitation, but provides an exemption for those claiming religious affiliation.
Attempted car-jacking - I just wanted to let you know that my neighbor, D, was the victim of an attempted mugging/car-jacking last Saturday afternoon in the Home Depot parking lot. A rough-looking skin-head dude with tattoos tried to grab her car keys while she was returning to her car, and wound up in a tug-of-war with her. Fortunately, some people eventually came to D’s aid and the jerk was apprehended and held until the police arrived. Folks should make sure that they’re aware of their surroundings at all times when shopping. Too many low-lifes hang out at Ponce Square.
Solicitors – We had two instances of people soliciting in Midtown Place this afternoon. The first around 3:30 PM was an Asian male approx 40 years old with some Church group. The second around 4:30 PM was a Black female approx 14-15 selling something. She was talking in circles about some group “America something or other”. I asked her for her City permit and she showed me some soliciting paperwork. I promptly asked her to leave the premises, which she did. This sounds familiar with some of the emails we have gotten from VaHi.
Freedom Park stalker - We were concerned about him Monday with our tennis girls because he has been seen in Piedmont Park as well. In fact, Monday afternoon, when we were at the Piedmont courts, a man fitting exact description — down to clothing & bicycle — was sleeping under a tree directly across the path from the tennis center, overlooking the active oval. He was just sleeping, not stalking anyone or doing anything. Of course, we have a number of disreputable regulars over there all day/all night, so it’s always a good idea to be careful and aware of what is going on around you.
Menacing Individual on Bicycle Following Women
The AJC and Channel 2 News reported earlier this week about a menacing individual harassing women in Freedom Park as they jogged and walked. Police intercepted the homeless Robert McKenzie and discovered a knife with a blade in excess of 3” (longer violates city ordinance), some porno material, and some “contaminated rags” (as reported by AJC). He was booked into the city jail on a knife ordinance violation. Details at AJC article linked below.
Until this development, this individual was unknown to us. We have since heard reports that he had been seen in Piedmont Park, though we have no reports of menacing or harassing conduct in our area attributed to this individual.
- AJC: Homeless man accused of following people in park arrested with knife http://www.ajc.com/news/homeless-man-accused-of-375047.html
Midtown Festival of the Arts – Calling All Midtown Artists
The Midtown Festival of the Arts is coming to Midtown Atlanta September 25 & 26, 2010! As a Midtown artist, you’re invited to be part of this exciting celebration of our community.
One of the exciting festival events is a public art auction featuring art pieces re-imagined from a commonplace object. Because Midtown is the destination for great food and drink in Atlanta, we’ve selected 30 unfinished wooden bar stools to be decorated by 30 selected Midtown artists.
That’s where you come in! If you’re interested in participating in this fun and exciting event, please contact the organizers at the link below.
- Midtown Festival of the Arts: www.midtownfestivalofthearts.org
MPSA Patrol Activity (Mid-February to Mid-March)
In a nutshell:
• 14 direct calls via the patrol hotline
• 23 911 calls in which the patrol had some role in the response
• 9 arrests by the patrol
Patrol Notables:
2/09: we received word that Eloise M., whom many have seen chronically panhandling on the street in moving traffic at Ponce & Monroe, was placed in a mental health program at Georgia Regional Hospital in Milledgeville.
2/17: The patrol handled a 911 call regarding a robbery and helped apprehend a suspect.
2/22: Stolen car found in the 700 block of Piedmont along an alley.
3/05: Locked up Kenya Hughes after a member on Myrtle Street observed him trying to enter several vehicles. The informant kept the patrol on the line until the suspect was apprehended. The suspect has previously been arrested numerous times in Midtown, including once in a neighborhood bar for stealing drinks from customers.
3/05: 911 call in a local business about a suspicious person entering a business with a concealed weapon. The suspect had a BB gun in a holster.
3/07: MPSA member reported urban camping on property covered by a letter of agency, and the patrol removed the two offenders. Later on, one of offenders became belligerent toward the person reporting incident to the patrol, and started throwing rocks. The suspect was arrested for disorderly conduct “#2″ (acting violently or tumultuously toward another). The suspect, Linwood Anderson, is regularly seen on Ponce.
3/08: Spoke to a property owner about several problematic tenants engaging in prostitution and drug activity in the surrounding area, based on observations by both the patrol and residents. The property owner has taken measures to evict the offending tenants in the immediate future.
3/08: Residents on 9th Street reported an egregious volume of furniture and other household goods set outside on private property along the alleyway backing up to east side of Myrtle Street. Because the junk is on private property and outside the purview of regular policing, we have reported it to code enforcement.
Sponsors
Many thanks for our community sponsors! While the majority of our funding comes from residents and small businesses, a significant portion of our neighborhood patrol funds comes from the following sponsors:
