Canton Police to Hold Facebook Live Town Hall Meeting

In efforts to reach more community members, Mark J. Mitchell, Canton Police Chief, and Deputy Chief Steve Merrifield will be hosting a town hall-style Facebook Live meeting. The event will begin at 7:00 p.m. and continue for approximately an hour, on Monday, November 26, 2018. The live stream will be available on the Canton Police’s Facebook page and will be archived for viewing after the broadcast is over.

 

Viewers of the event can post questions in advance by commenting on this Facebook event page or by texting questions to (470) 239-0008.

Chief Mark J. Mitchell adds, “We are always researching new, innovative and unique avenues to engage, connect and continue to build trust with those we serve. We believe this live event will give our citizens another transparent way to learn about their department and an opportunity to ask questions in order for us to help solve problems in our community.”

Detectives Solve Graffiti Incident

At approximately 8:43 am., Monday, October 22, 2018, Officers responded to the report of a business wall being spray painted (tagged) at 159 Railroad Street.  Police Detectives began working the case and discovered through video surveillance, the crime occurred on Sunday, October 21, 2018, just before 1:00 am.  The video revealed three (3) what appeared to be Hispanic males in an older model Lincoln Town-Car commit the trespassing act with what is believed to be Gang Graffiti.

Over the past several weeks, Detectives had the incident disseminated on the department’s social media platform, conducted interviews and worked with the Cartersville Police Department because persons responsible were known to their department and thought to live in that area.  After further keen investigative work, Detectives discovered the three (3) suspects are members of the Cartersville Vatos Locos (CVL) gang and tagged the wall because they had issues with individuals here in Canton.     

On Wednesday, November 7, 2018, Detectives secured arrest warrants for Luis Alberto Rocha age 24 of Cartersville, GA, Juan Estaban Gallegos age 24 of Cartersville, GA and Coty Lance Gallegos age 31 of Kingston, GA., all charged with Criminal Trespass and violation of the Georgia Criminal Street Gang Act.  At the time of this press release, Juan Gallegos is in custody and Detectives with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) are searching for the other two (2) individuals.

Chief Mark J. Mitchell added, “Our Detectives dedicated many hours to solve this case.  As you can see, these offenders are not from our city and I urge those who live here that were the subject of their tagging to take heed of how hard our Officers and our law enforcement partners work to ensure individuals who commit these crimes will be sought out, arrested and charged accordingly.”

Chief Mitchell continued and said, “We want to thank the Cartersville Police Department, Kingston Police Department and the FBI for their vital assistance with this criminal activity.

Canton Police Receive Agency of the Year Award

The Canton Police Department is pleased to announce it has been awarded the Agency of the Year from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) for the Appalachian Trail Traffic Enforcement Network (ATTEN) district in Georgia.

The award was presented on Thursday, November 8, 2018, at the annual QUAD meeting in Gainesville, GA.

The agency would like to thank Sgt. Delman, Officer Molasso, Lt. Baldwin and Captain Turner for their management of the program and involvement with the district.

For more information on GOHS and its highway safety programs, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org.

Police search for suspect in armed robbery at service station

 The Canton Police are searching for a suspect who committed an armed robbery at a convenience store in Canton, late Monday night after the individual took cash and fled.

Canton Officers responded to a panic alarm around 11:00 pm on Monday, October 22, 2018, at the Chevron service station located at 370 Marietta Rd.

An employee at the Chevron told police they were confronted by a male armed with a gun who demanded money.  The suspect jumped the counter and entered a back room.  After leaving the back room with an undermined amount of cash, he exited the front entrance and fled on foot down Marietta Road.  Officers arrived and searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect. 

The suspect is described as a Hispanic or possible white male with a slim build.  He spoke in English and Spanish and had a tattoo on his left forearm.

Canton Detectives are reviewing video surveillance from the service station and are asking anyone with information about the robbery or who might have seen something suspicious to please call 911.

Entering Auto Suspect Arrested

Since the spring of this year, Police Detectives have been investigating multiple cases of Entering Auto incidents involving new vehicles located at the Shottenkirk Dodge dealership here in our city.  Recently, a Detective was able to generate a lead while researching several web-based sale sites and after further inquiry, the evidence collected allowed for the securing of a search warrant. 

Today at approximately 5:00 am, our Detectives along with Investigators from the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, Detectives from the Cartersville Police Department and agents with the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad (CMANS) executed the search warrant at 318 Quiet Hill Lane, Woodstock, GA.  After the search warrant was served, Detectives conducted interviews, collected numerous pieces of evidence directly linked to the crimes and located narcotics to include marijuana, THC and cocaine. 

As a result of the investigation, a Mr. Chad Lindsey Abell age: 46 of Woodstock was arrested for twenty-three (23) counts of Entering Auto from our office and additional counts of Entering Auto by the Cartersville Police Department and the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office.  In addition, as a result of the search warrant, a Mr. Cole Tyler Abell age: 24 of Woodstock was arrested for Possession of Marijuana less than an ounce, Possession of THC and Possession of Cocaine.         

Chief Mark J. Mitchell added, “I commend our hard-working Detectives for their commitment and diligence with this long investigation.  We are very grateful for these arrests and a safe and successful resolution was brought to these cases.  Effort like this greatly strengthens the quality of life for our citizens and businesses we serve. 

Chief Mitchell continued and said, “We want to thank the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, CMANS and the Cartersville Police Department for their vital assistance with this criminal activity.    

Note:  This is an on-going investigation with additional charges possible in the future.

Citizen's Police Academy

The Police Department will be hosting an upcoming Citizen Police Academy on Tuesday evenings from 6-9 pm., beginning October 16, 2018 and continuing every Tuesday for the next eight (8) weeks until the class graduates on December 11, 2018. Join members of the agency for an exciting hands on program that will give citizens an exclusive insider's view of modern day policing, law, drug enforcement, personal protection and more. Interact with officers from Traffic, Uniform Patrol and Criminal Investigations. Those attending will also be afforded the chance to ask questions, ride along with an officer and spend an afternoon with our team at the Firing Range learning basic fundamentals of firearms safety and shooting skills.

Deadline for registration is Tuesday, October 9, 2018 and registrants must be 21 or older. Please download the application or pick up a copy at the Canton Police Department, GA.

You may send completed applications to Officer Pacer Cordry: pacer.cordry@cantonga.gov

There is no cost for this program.

Coffee with a Cop

The Police Department’s next Coffee with a Cop community event will be held on Tuesday, October 2, 2018, from 8:30 -10:30 am., at Panera Bread (205 West Main Street, Canton, GA). 

Coffee with a Cop is an on-going outreach allows Officers and citizens to connect, engage, problem solve and build important trusting relationships which are vital to improving the quality of life for everyone in the community.

Chief Mark J. Mitchell stated, “This program is one of the most important monthly activities we are involved in which, is essential to us connecting with the citizens we serve. Our organizational attitude, mindset and philosophy is to build a foundation of trust with each segment of our community and diligently grow a very positive culture between our hard working department and this great City.”