Canton Officers Receive Rotary Club Public Safety Awards

 Rotary Club Public Safety Awards 2022

The Rotary Club of Canton held its fifth annual Public Safety Appreciation Luncheon on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, to honor the best in the community.

The luncheon was held at the Bluff's Conference Center, where public safety officers and partners from within Cherokee County were awarded for their outstanding contributions to their professions.

Officer Carlos Henao of the Canton Police Department was honored with the Public Safety Employee of the Year award. Ofc. Henao has served the citizens of Canton since 2019 and was joined at the luncheon by his wife, and children.

Sergeant Tiffanie Cromer of the Canton Police Department was also honored with the Public Safety Employee of the Year award. Sgt. Cromer has served the citizens of Canton since 2015. She was joined at the luncheon by her husband and mother.

"I would like to congratulate Sergeant Cromer and Officer Henao on this prestigious award and I thank them both for their excellent service to our community" Chief Stephen Merrifield.

Holly Springs Man Arrested on Charges of Public Indecency

On August 24, 2022, Donald Harris, 48, of Holly Springs, was arrested on public indecency charges and transported to the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center. 

Arrest warrants were taken after two separate incidents occurred. The first incident occurred on July 28, 2022, when a man reportedly exposed himself to a juvenile male victim while shopping at Kohls (2034 Cumming Hwy). The second incident occurred on August 23, 2022, when a female victim reported a man exposing himself to her while shopping at Hobby Lobby (2449 Cumming Hwy). Canton Police Detectives were able to identify the male through surveillance cameras from within the businesses.

Harris was charged with two (2) counts of public indecency O.C.G.A. 16-6-8. 

We would like to thank the Holly Springs Police Department for their assistance in the arrest. These cases are still active and under investigation.  Anyone with additional information is urged to contact the Canton Police Department at (770) 720-4883.

Person Shot on Liberty Blvd

***Update at 6 P.M.***

This afternoon at 1:08 p.m., Canton Police Officers responded to the business Shottenkirk Hyundai at 300 Liberty Blvd., Canton, GA, in reference to gunshots being fired. While responding, an officer spotted a vehicle parked on the side of Liberty Blvd., which matched the description of a vehicle involved in the original dispatch. Inside the vehicle,  an Officer found a female, who was unharmed, and a male who appeared to have a gunshot wound to his leg. The Officer performed life saving techniques on the male to include applying a tourniquet to the patient's leg. 

Initial investigation has revealed the injured male had been in an argument with another male at the original dispatch location, when gunshots were fired. The injured male has been identified as Uriah Tyrek James, age 24, of Douglasville, GA,and is currently conscious and alert while being treated at a local hospital. The other male involved has been identified as Kevon Phillip Duffus, age 30 of Covington, GA, and is currently at the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Detention center and charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault. The involved parties are  not employees or customers of Shottenkirk Hyundai and the nature of the involved parties' relationship is still being researched. 

This incident is an active investigation and updates will be provided when more information is available. Further inquiries should be directed to Sergeant Mary Turner at mary.turner@cantonga.gov. 

*******************************

Canton Police responded to a person shot in a vehicle, on Liberty Blvd at 1:08 P.M. this afternoon. The person shot has been transported to a medical facility with his condition unknown at this time. 

A person of interest has been detained and there is no active threat to the public as the incident has been contained. An investigation has just begun and is on going. We will provide an update when more information is available. 

Agency Assist Officer-Involved Shooting

 Officers are currently on the scene of an officer-involved shooting, involving the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. The incident occurred at Red Lobster, on Riverstone Parkway. There is no active threat to the public as the incident has been contained. 

For media inquiries, please reach out to the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and the GBI-PIO for further details. A designated media staging area will be in the Wells Fargo parking lot. 

Canton Officers Receive Meritorious Service Award

On Thursday, July 21, 2022, Officer M. Shaw and Detective T. Cruz received the department's Meritorious Service Award for their outstanding investigative performance and criminal apprehension after conducting a routine traffic stop. 

On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at approximately 10:24 a.m., Officer M. Shaw with Canton Police Department conducted a traffic stop, which resulted in the arrest of a juvenile female for human trafficking, kidnapping, and multiple other charges. 

Officer M. Shaw conducted the traffic stop on North Street near Railroad Street in Canton, Georgia, after observing the driver holding her cellphone while operating the vehicle. He was also able to determine the vehicle involved was stolen out of North Carolina. During a search of the vehicle, 13 THC vape cartridges, 3 vape pens, a THC Nerds Rope, and a large amount of lingerie were located.

 Officer M. Shaw requested Detective T. Cruz to the scene, where after further investigation, they determined the female passenger was a 13-year-old juvenile, who was a victim of human trafficking and kidnapping. 

The victim was reunited with her family. 

For further information on this incident, you can review the initial press release on our Canton Police Newsroom Blog: http://cantonpolicega.blogspot.com/

Canton Police Names Uniform Patrol Bureau Commander

Canton Police Chief, Stephen Merrifield announced the promotion of Lieutenant John Lummus to the position of Police Captain, Uniform Patrol Bureau Commander.

Captain Lummus has twenty-five (25) years of law enforcement experience with his last year serving as Executive Lieutenant to the Office of the Chief of Police. He also served as the Assistant Uniform Patrol Bureau Commander, Office of Professional Standards Sergeant, and Uniform Patrol Sergeant, giving him a well-rounded level of knowledge needed for this position.

In addition to his vast experience, Captain Lummus possesses all the education, training, and P.O.S.T certifications pertinent to the position of Police Captain such as GA P.O.S.T. Intermediate Certification, GA P.O.S.T.Advanced Certification, and F.B.I Leadership Trilogy Graduate.

Chief Merrifield stated, "Captain Lummus has dedicated twenty-five years of his life, serving and protecting the citizens of this great community. He is well respected by every member of this department, and we are blessed to have him in a leadership position. I congratulate Captin Lummus for his great accomplishment in his long and distinguished career."

Canton Police Department Press Release: July 18, 2022.

On Saturday, July 16, 2022, at 3:59 P.M., Officers responded to a deceased subject located in the Etowah River, just North of the Waleska Street bridge. Officers and Detectives, along with the assistance of Cherokee Fire and Rescue, recovered the adult male's body from the river. The deceased is only being described as an adult male at this time until positive identification is obtained and notification of next of kin is made. The manner and cause of death will be determined by the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office.

 

This incident is an active death investigation. Additional information will be made available as the investigation progresses. We ask anyone with information to please contact the Canton Police Department at (770) 720-4883.