Fighting for equity

A group of about 25 students from across Georgia participated in a “lobby day” with Georgia Youth Justice Coalition on Feb. 16. The organizers and lobbyists focused on the creation of an “opportunity weight” to help low-income students in Georgia schools. Read story, Page 20.

Municipal code changes could strengthen police

► PAGE 4

Cities, county partner up for Supreme Court case

► PAGE 7

New exercise studio personalizes fitness

► PAGE 8

Last March, residents were notified that they would need to relocate by the end of August after the City of Roswell deemed the property structurally unsound. Only one resident remains, but Karen Parrish, chairwoman of the Roswell Housing Authority, said the woman is set to move into a new unit soon.

While the agency commissioned a 2017 engineering report citing several structural issues at the housing facility, Parrish said she wasn’t made aware of them until 2019. The Feb. 14 board meeting was Parrish’s fifth anniversary as board chair.

Since then, Parrish said the

See HOUSING, Page 14

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Man reports firearm aimed at him from car

ROSWELL, Ga. — A Roswell man called the police on Feb. 9 after a passenger waved a gun in his direction from a car as it drove by the Chevron gas station on Holcomb Bridge Road.

The man told police he was smoking a cigarette in front of the gas station when the car passed by, and a passenger shouted out of the window “Who are you with?” then pointed a gun in his direction.

The man said the car was a black 2012 Nissan Pathfinder with a white sticker on the rear passenger side, and that the gun looked like a real weapon.

Police checked security footage and saw the car drive by with the passenger waving a gun around. They said the weapon “appears to pass over” the man who called the police. There was no sound on the video, so officers could not determine if the passenger shouted at the man.

The man told police the car came from the nearby McDonald’s parking lot, so officers also got footage from the restaurant’s drive-thru.

Entering auto thefts reported in Alpharetta

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta police are investigating a series of entering auto thefts that occurred downtown Feb. 4.

Police said multiple vehicle burglaries occurred at Fairway Social, 240 S. Main Street, and Foundation Social Eatery, 203 Roswell Street, and were discovered at about 10 p.m. Thieves reportedly broke the windows of four vehicles at the businesses and stole valuables, including purses, wallets, glasses and prescription drugs.

Other reports said an additional vehicle burglary occurred Feb. 5 at the Alpharetta Pappadeaux restaurant on Mansell Road.

Officers responded to the restaurant at about 10 p.m. and were told a customer’s vehicle had been entered through its rear passenger window. A MacBook and two pairs of sunglasses were stolen from the vehicle.

The report indicated the burglary was related to the other incidents in downtown Alpharetta.

No suspects were identified.

Hotel guest loses car he lent to strangers

ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell police responded to a car theft on Feb. 4 at the Ramada hotel on Mansell Road after a man lent his car to two strangers and didn’t get it back.

The victim told police he was staying at the hotel when two middle-aged men approached him. One man identified himself as “old school.” The pair asked if the man could drive him South to see his brother.

The victim told the pair he was intoxicated and could not drive. The man identified as “old school” said he would pay $40 to borrow the car for an hour. The man asked for personal items from the pair as collateral, and “old school” gave him clothes. The pair left in the car, but never returned.

Police listed the vehicle as stolen and the case remains open.

Texas man arrested for hotel gun threat

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta police have arrested a Texas man who allegedly threatened two people with a gun at a local hotel Feb. 12.

Police records indicate the 55-yearold man was arrested when officers were called to the Sonesta Suites on Windward Parkway at 6 p.m., responding to reports a man was waving a gun and pointing it at other guests.

At the scene, officers learned the incident occurred due to an argument over parking and a trailer hitch attached to one of the victim’s vehicles. Witnesses said the suspect became irate after seeing two guests had a large trailer hitch, with a luggage carrier, blocking a portion of the hotel’s sidewalk.

The suspect allegedly yelled at the victims, telling them to take the luggage carrier and trailer hitch off. When they refused, he brought out a saw and began sawing at the trailer hitch, the report said.

When the victims tried to stop him, the suspect pulled out a handgun and pointed it at them several times. After police arrived, the suspect surrendered the gun and allegedly admitted pointing it at the victims, because he “had too much to drink.”

The man was arrested and charged with pointing a gun at another and criminal trespass. He was taken to the North Fulton County Jail in Alpharetta.

Construction worker reports attack by crew

ROSWELL, Ga. — A construction worker told police his construction crew assaulted him and the man they work for Feb. 4 after the workers were not paid $1,400 for a job they completed.

He said the construction crew found out the man was at their coworker’s house on Belmont Drive. The construction worker said four men and one woman, all a part of his crew, arrived at the house and immediately started attacking the man who had not paid them.

When the construction worker tried to intervene, he said they attacked him too. Police said the worker had visible injuries to his face.

There were other people at the location who tried to calm the situation, to no success. The construction worker said the tenant of his home came outside with a gun in hand, and his coworkers quickly got back in the car and left.