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  string(4826) "A shoplifting call at a location of The Home Depot turned into a bizarre manhunt that ended in a sewer system in Cumming, GA.

The whole thing started around 8 a.m. when a 24-year-old man allegedly tried to steal copper wire from a Home Depot. Employees tried to stop the man, but he ran outside and hid in the parking lot when police officers arrived. We aren’t sure where he hid in a parking lot.

Eventually, officers spotted the 24-year-old man getting into his car, and speeding off toward Ga. 400. “Due to traffic, officers called off the chase,” reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Apparently, chasing this unwise 24-year-old was complexly unnecessary. About 30 seconds after cops called off the chase, the suspect wrecked his car, hitting a Ga. 400 guardrail.

“We’re not really sure why (he crashed). I don’t know if he was impaired. I’m not sure what the deal was,” Cumming Police Chief David Marsh said.
The 24-year-old jumped over the guardrail and fled into a development. “Since it was still in the early stages of construction, the only part that had been completed was the sewer system,” reports the AJC.

As the manhunt continued, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office got involved, and called the construction crew for a map of the development’s sewer system.
Cops stationed one person at every entry into the sewer system and waited for the 24-year-old to resurface. After 20 minutes, the suspect came out “kind of like whack-a-mole,” said the Cumming Police Chief.

The bizarre manhunt stunned the onsite construction crew. “They were all just interested. You know, kind of sitting around watching like this is not something that happens most days,” the Cumming Police Chief said. “There wasn’t a ton of people out there. But there were enough people to kind of gather everyone’s interest. I imagine they stopped working for a few minutes while that was going on.”

The 24-year-old is charged with shoplifting, fleeing or attempting to elude for a felony offense, and other drug offenses.

!!Bribery wins
A Friend of the Blotter reports: In the Savannah area, a Chatham County Police Officer responded to a residence at 5:05 a.m. The homeowner heard the sound of a car door closing in his garage and he went to investigate.

The homeowner found a strange man standing next to his car with the door wide open.He asked the suspect if he could help him, and the suspect replied, “I am trying to take your car.” Well, that’s one honest thief.

Thinking fast, the homeowner told the suspect he did not have the keys to the vehicle handy — and asked if he would be interested in taking a bus or other transportation and gave him a $100 bill. That’s the most innovative and generous response to an attempted car theft the Blotter has ever reported.

The suspect walked off while the homeowner called police, who apprehended the suspect on foot shortly afterwards.

!!Taking a bite out of crime
A female passenger on a Delta Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta is facing a whopping huge fine for her alleged unruly behavior — $77,272. The female passenger allegedly tried to “hug and kiss the passenger seated next to her; walked to the front of the aircraft to try to exit during flight; refused to return to her seat,” and for the grand finale, the disruptive female “bit another passenger multiple times.”

The flight crew had to physically restrain the woman to prevent further disruption on the flight to Atlanta.

The woman is facing a $77,272 fine from FAA — one of the agency’s largest fines ever for unruly behavior, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

!!Burn, baby, burn
Three men are going to federal prison for burning five U.S Post Office trucks outside a post office on Oglethorpe Avenue in southwest Atlanta.

The three men pleaded guilty to arson and conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.

The specific motive for the arson/conspiracy is unclear. A lead prosecutor said evidence gathered by the FBI and other agencies suggests the men’s actions may have been intended as a political protest against the 2020 presidential election.

One of the three suspects made it super-easy for cops to find him. An assistant U.S. Attorney told WSBTV-Action News that during the arson, one suspect was wearing an ankle monitor after getting bond in the Fulton County Case on the arson of the Wendy’s fast-food restaurant near the Rayshard Brooks shooting.

“We could match up the GPS location information with all … locations to show that he was at all these incidents,” Hobson told the news station. —CL—
 

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
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The whole thing started around 8 a.m. when a 24-year-old man allegedly tried to steal copper wire from a Home Depot. Employees tried to stop the man, but he ran outside and hid in the parking lot when police officers arrived. We aren’t sure where he hid in a parking lot.

Eventually, officers spotted the 24-year-old man getting into his car, and speeding off toward Ga. 400. “Due to traffic, officers called off the chase,” reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Apparently, chasing this unwise 24-year-old was complexly unnecessary. About 30 seconds after cops called off the chase, the suspect wrecked his car, hitting a Ga. 400 guardrail.

“We’re not really sure why (he crashed). I don’t know if he was impaired. I’m not sure what the deal was,” Cumming Police Chief David Marsh said.
The 24-year-old jumped over the guardrail and fled into a development. “Since it was still in the early stages of construction, the only part that had been completed was the sewer system,” reports the AJC.

As the manhunt continued, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office got involved, and called the construction crew for a map of the development’s sewer system.
Cops stationed one person at every entry into the sewer system and waited for the 24-year-old to resurface. After 20 minutes, the suspect came out “kind of like whack-a-mole,” said the Cumming Police Chief.

The bizarre manhunt stunned the onsite construction crew. “They were all just interested. You know, kind of sitting around watching like this is not something that happens most days,” the Cumming Police Chief said. “There wasn’t a ton of people out there. But there were enough people to kind of gather everyone’s interest. I imagine they stopped working for a few minutes while that was going on.”

The 24-year-old is charged with shoplifting, fleeing or attempting to elude for a felony offense, and other drug offenses.

!!~~#0000ff:Bribery wins~~
A Friend of the Blotter reports: In the Savannah area, a Chatham County Police Officer responded to a residence at 5:05 a.m. The homeowner heard the sound of a car door closing in his garage and he went to investigate.

The homeowner found a strange man standing next to his car with the door wide open.He asked the suspect if he could help him, and the suspect replied, “I am trying to take your car.” Well, that’s one honest thief.

Thinking fast, the homeowner told the suspect he did not have the keys to the vehicle handy — and asked if he would be interested in taking a bus or other transportation and gave him a $100 bill. That’s the most innovative and generous response to an attempted car theft the Blotter has ever reported.

The suspect walked off while the homeowner called police, who apprehended the suspect on foot shortly afterwards.

!!~~#0000ff:Taking a bite out of crime~~
A female passenger on a Delta Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta is facing a whopping huge fine for her alleged unruly behavior — $77,272. The female passenger allegedly tried to “hug and kiss the passenger seated next to her; walked to the front of the aircraft to try to exit during flight; refused to return to her seat,” and for the grand finale, the disruptive female “bit another passenger multiple times.”

The flight crew had to physically restrain the woman to prevent further disruption on the flight to Atlanta.

The woman is facing a $77,272 fine from FAA — one of the agency’s largest fines ever for unruly behavior, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

!!~~#0000ff:Burn, baby, burn~~
Three men are going to federal prison for burning five U.S Post Office trucks outside a post office on Oglethorpe Avenue in southwest Atlanta.

The three men pleaded guilty to arson and conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.

The specific motive for the arson/conspiracy is unclear. A lead prosecutor said evidence gathered by the FBI and other agencies suggests the men’s actions may have been intended as a political protest against the 2020 presidential election.

One of the three suspects made it super-easy for cops to find him. An assistant U.S. Attorney told WSBTV-Action News that during the arson, one suspect was wearing an ankle monitor after getting bond in the Fulton County Case on the arson of the Wendy’s fast-food restaurant near the Rayshard Brooks shooting.

“We could match up the GPS location information with all … locations to show that he was at all these incidents,” Hobson told the news station. __—CL—__
 

''The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.''"
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  string(5244) " 0522 Blot Copperwire Final 01  2022-05-02T16:02:31+00:00 0522_blot_copperwire_final-01.jpg      And other tales of life in the ATL 0522 Blot Copperwire Final 01   2022-05-02T15:53:07+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Singing the cesspool blues jim.harris Jim Harris  lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2022-05-02T15:53:07+00:00 A shoplifting call at a location of The Home Depot turned into a bizarre manhunt that ended in a sewer system in Cumming, GA.

The whole thing started around 8 a.m. when a 24-year-old man allegedly tried to steal copper wire from a Home Depot. Employees tried to stop the man, but he ran outside and hid in the parking lot when police officers arrived. We aren’t sure where he hid in a parking lot.

Eventually, officers spotted the 24-year-old man getting into his car, and speeding off toward Ga. 400. “Due to traffic, officers called off the chase,” reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Apparently, chasing this unwise 24-year-old was complexly unnecessary. About 30 seconds after cops called off the chase, the suspect wrecked his car, hitting a Ga. 400 guardrail.

“We’re not really sure why (he crashed). I don’t know if he was impaired. I’m not sure what the deal was,” Cumming Police Chief David Marsh said.
The 24-year-old jumped over the guardrail and fled into a development. “Since it was still in the early stages of construction, the only part that had been completed was the sewer system,” reports the AJC.

As the manhunt continued, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office got involved, and called the construction crew for a map of the development’s sewer system.
Cops stationed one person at every entry into the sewer system and waited for the 24-year-old to resurface. After 20 minutes, the suspect came out “kind of like whack-a-mole,” said the Cumming Police Chief.

The bizarre manhunt stunned the onsite construction crew. “They were all just interested. You know, kind of sitting around watching like this is not something that happens most days,” the Cumming Police Chief said. “There wasn’t a ton of people out there. But there were enough people to kind of gather everyone’s interest. I imagine they stopped working for a few minutes while that was going on.”

The 24-year-old is charged with shoplifting, fleeing or attempting to elude for a felony offense, and other drug offenses.

!!Bribery wins
A Friend of the Blotter reports: In the Savannah area, a Chatham County Police Officer responded to a residence at 5:05 a.m. The homeowner heard the sound of a car door closing in his garage and he went to investigate.

The homeowner found a strange man standing next to his car with the door wide open.He asked the suspect if he could help him, and the suspect replied, “I am trying to take your car.” Well, that’s one honest thief.

Thinking fast, the homeowner told the suspect he did not have the keys to the vehicle handy — and asked if he would be interested in taking a bus or other transportation and gave him a $100 bill. That’s the most innovative and generous response to an attempted car theft the Blotter has ever reported.

The suspect walked off while the homeowner called police, who apprehended the suspect on foot shortly afterwards.

!!Taking a bite out of crime
A female passenger on a Delta Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta is facing a whopping huge fine for her alleged unruly behavior — $77,272. The female passenger allegedly tried to “hug and kiss the passenger seated next to her; walked to the front of the aircraft to try to exit during flight; refused to return to her seat,” and for the grand finale, the disruptive female “bit another passenger multiple times.”

The flight crew had to physically restrain the woman to prevent further disruption on the flight to Atlanta.

The woman is facing a $77,272 fine from FAA — one of the agency’s largest fines ever for unruly behavior, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

!!Burn, baby, burn
Three men are going to federal prison for burning five U.S Post Office trucks outside a post office on Oglethorpe Avenue in southwest Atlanta.

The three men pleaded guilty to arson and conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.

The specific motive for the arson/conspiracy is unclear. A lead prosecutor said evidence gathered by the FBI and other agencies suggests the men’s actions may have been intended as a political protest against the 2020 presidential election.

One of the three suspects made it super-easy for cops to find him. An assistant U.S. Attorney told WSBTV-Action News that during the arson, one suspect was wearing an ankle monitor after getting bond in the Fulton County Case on the arson of the Wendy’s fast-food restaurant near the Rayshard Brooks shooting.

“We could match up the GPS location information with all … locations to show that he was at all these incidents,” Hobson told the news station. —CL—
 

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    ILLUSTRATION BY TRAY BUTLER                              THE BLOTTER: Singing the cesspool blues "
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  string(5517) "Police in Roswell, Ga. are warning about a prowling pair of pickpocketing thieves using “the banana distraction” method.

The two male pickpocketers targeted an elderly man shopping at the Aldi’s on Mansell Road, according to local news reports.

Police say Suspect #1 dropped a banana on the floor in front of the elderly man — and yelled “You’re standing on my banana!” Then the suspect shook the elderly man’s pant leg to distract him. Suspect #2 then allegedly stole the man’s wallet.

Both suspects then reportedly escaped in a white Chrysler Pacifica. Later, they used the elderly man’s credit cards to buy nearly $4,000 worth of stuff.
The “banana distraction” thieves are reportedly still at large.

!!WAKANDA SHIT IS THIS?
Black Panther film director Ryan Coolger was recently in Atlanta, filming the sequel to his 2018 superhero smash hit, when he was mistaken for a bank robber. And handcuffed.

Coogler, age 35, was wearing a hat, sunglasses and a Covid face mask when he walked into a Bank of America location in Buckhead. Coogler walked up to a pregnant bank teller, handing over his identification, his California state ID, his Bank of America card, and bank pin number and note that reportedly read: "I would like to withdraw $12,000 cash from my bank account. Please do the money count somewhere else. I'd like to be discreet.”

According to Variety , the bank teller told her boss she suspected this was a robbery attempt, and the teller and called 911. Four cops from Atlanta Police Department showed up.

First the cops detained two of Coogler's associates (one male, one female) who were waiting outside in a SUV with the engine running. They put Coogler's associates in the back of a patrol car. Then, two of the cops handcuffed Coogler, who is Black, and walked him outside, placing him in the back of the police vehicle.

According to The New York Times , Coogler said to the cops, "I'm trying to get money out of my own account," and the bank teller "never said it was a problem." Coogler added. "She got scared when a Black dude handed her a note," Coogler said. "I don't know what else to say. If she was scared, she's got to admit that.”

After verifying Coogler's identity and his Bank of America account, the officers released him and his colleagues.

A Bank of America spokesman said: "We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler.”

Coogler apparently took being mistaken for a bank robber in stride. He said: "This incident never should have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on."

Multiple news sites went off about Coogler, a Black man, being profiled as a bank robber just for being, er, Black man withdrawing a large sum of cash.

Then, a plot twist. Turns out, the pregnant bank teller and her boss are Black as well.

Coolger told The New York Times that he was withdrawing the $12,000 to pay a medical assistant who works for his family.

Coogler's sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , is due out in November.

!!FANBOY FUCKUP
A man from Dublin, Georgia is set to serve three years in federal prison for illegally getting a Covid-19 relief loan — and spending more than $57,000 of his loan money on a single collectible Pokemon card.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, the 31-year-old suspect received $85,000 in loan money and spent $57,789 on the rare first-edition Pokemon card, which featured the Charizard dragon. Prosecutors say the 31-year-old will forfeit the collectible Pokemon card to the government as part of his prison sentence. Apparently, the U.S. government will put the rare Pokemon card up for auction.

The 31-year-old allegedly submitted false info to the U.S. Business Administration when he applied for the covid relief loan, falsely claiming he ran an "entertainment services" business with more than 10 employees. He pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

!!FUEL FRENZY
Atlanta police said the "Gas Bandit" has stolen his "last gallon of petroleum" for a while. The Gas Bandit is accused of sliding under people's cars and using a drill to puncture their gas tanks and stealing all the gas — leaving not a drop behind. He swiped fuel from at least 10 people's vehicles in East Atlanta, Kirkwood and Edgewood neighborhoods.

Several victims told police they started their cars the next day, realizing they were totally out of gas, when they knew they had at least a partial tank. Some victims' cars were seriously fucked by the Bandit's drilling. One victim told WSB-TV, "I've got $2,000 worth of damages, not just in the gas tank, but damage to the fuel pump, which is a pretty big issue.”

Apparently, the "Gas Bandit" didn't realize that his own car — a Mercury Mountaineer SUV — and its license plate was recorded on several homeowners' surveillance cameras. Police started a lookout for the Gas Bandit's car — and spotted the Bandit at the intersection of Hosea Williams Drive and Rogers Avenue in Kirkwood. The Gas Bandit, who hails from Washington state, went to jail on felony charges of criminal trespass, damage to property and entering autos. Atlanta Police Department said in a statement, "We applaud the work of everyone involved in this odd case.” —CL— 

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
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The two male pickpocketers targeted an elderly man shopping at the Aldi’s on Mansell Road, according to local news reports.

Police say Suspect #1 dropped a banana on the floor in front of the elderly man — and yelled “You’re standing on my banana!” Then the suspect shook the elderly man’s pant leg to distract him. Suspect #2 then allegedly stole the man’s wallet.

Both suspects then reportedly escaped in a white Chrysler Pacifica. Later, they used the elderly man’s credit cards to buy nearly $4,000 worth of stuff.
The “banana distraction” thieves are reportedly still at large.

!!~~#0000ff:WAKANDA SHIT IS THIS?~~
''Black Panther'' film director Ryan Coolger was recently in Atlanta, filming the sequel to his 2018 superhero smash hit, when he was mistaken for a bank robber. And handcuffed.

Coogler, age 35, was wearing a hat, sunglasses and a Covid face mask when he walked into a Bank of America location in Buckhead. Coogler walked up to a pregnant bank teller, handing over his identification, his California state ID, his Bank of America card, and bank pin number and note that reportedly read: "I would like to withdraw $12,000 cash from my bank account. Please do the money count somewhere else. I'd like to be discreet.”

According to ''Variety '', the bank teller told her boss she suspected this was a robbery attempt, and the teller and called 911. Four cops from Atlanta Police Department showed up.

First the cops detained two of Coogler's associates (one male, one female) who were waiting outside in a SUV with the engine running. They put Coogler's associates in the back of a patrol car. Then, two of the cops handcuffed Coogler, who is Black, and walked him outside, placing him in the back of the police vehicle.

According to ''The New York Times '', Coogler said to the cops, "I'm trying to get money out of my own account," and the bank teller "never said it was a problem." Coogler added. "She got scared when a Black dude handed her a note," Coogler said. "I don't know what else to say. If she was scared, she's got to admit that.”

After verifying Coogler's identity and his Bank of America account, the officers released him and his colleagues.

A Bank of America spokesman said: "We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler.”

Coogler apparently took being mistaken for a bank robber in stride. He said: "This incident never should have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on."

Multiple news sites went off about Coogler, a Black man, being profiled as a bank robber just for being, er, Black man withdrawing a large sum of cash.

Then, a plot twist. Turns out, the pregnant bank teller and her boss are Black as well.

Coolger told ''The New York Times'' that he was withdrawing the $12,000 to pay a medical assistant who works for his family.

Coogler's sequel, ''Black Panther: Wakanda Forever '', is due out in November.

!!~~#0000ff:FANBOY FUCKUP~~
A man from Dublin, Georgia is set to serve three years in federal prison for illegally getting a Covid-19 relief loan — and spending more than $57,000 of his loan money on a single collectible Pokemon card.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, the 31-year-old suspect received $85,000 in loan money and spent $57,789 on the rare first-edition Pokemon card, which featured the Charizard dragon. Prosecutors say the 31-year-old will forfeit the collectible Pokemon card to the government as part of his prison sentence. Apparently, the U.S. government will put the rare Pokemon card up for auction.

The 31-year-old allegedly submitted false info to the U.S. Business Administration when he applied for the covid relief loan, falsely claiming he ran an "entertainment services" business with more than 10 employees. He pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

!!~~#0000ff:FUEL FRENZY~~
Atlanta police said the "Gas Bandit" has stolen his "last gallon of petroleum" for a while. The Gas Bandit is accused of sliding under people's cars and using a drill to puncture their gas tanks and stealing all the gas — leaving not a drop behind. He swiped fuel from at least 10 people's vehicles in East Atlanta, Kirkwood and Edgewood neighborhoods.

Several victims told police they started their cars the next day, realizing they were totally out of gas, when they knew they had at least a partial tank. Some victims' cars were seriously fucked by the Bandit's drilling. One victim told WSB-TV, "I've got $2,000 worth of damages, not just in the gas tank, but damage to the fuel pump, which is a pretty big issue.”

Apparently, the "Gas Bandit" didn't realize that his own car — a Mercury Mountaineer SUV — and its license plate was recorded on several homeowners' surveillance cameras. Police started a lookout for the Gas Bandit's car — and spotted the Bandit at the intersection of Hosea Williams Drive and Rogers Avenue in Kirkwood. The Gas Bandit, who hails from Washington state, went to jail on felony charges of criminal trespass, damage to property and entering autos. Atlanta Police Department said in a statement, "We applaud the work of everyone involved in this odd case.” __—CL— __

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  string(5914) " 0422 Blot Bananas Final 01  2022-04-04T21:05:03+00:00 0422_blot_bananas-final-01.jpg      And other tales of life in the ATL 0422 Blot Bananas Final 01   2022-04-04T20:56:40+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Fruitful scam jim.harris Jim Harris Lauren Keating lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2022-04-04T20:56:40+00:00 Police in Roswell, Ga. are warning about a prowling pair of pickpocketing thieves using “the banana distraction” method.

The two male pickpocketers targeted an elderly man shopping at the Aldi’s on Mansell Road, according to local news reports.

Police say Suspect #1 dropped a banana on the floor in front of the elderly man — and yelled “You’re standing on my banana!” Then the suspect shook the elderly man’s pant leg to distract him. Suspect #2 then allegedly stole the man’s wallet.

Both suspects then reportedly escaped in a white Chrysler Pacifica. Later, they used the elderly man’s credit cards to buy nearly $4,000 worth of stuff.
The “banana distraction” thieves are reportedly still at large.

!!WAKANDA SHIT IS THIS?
Black Panther film director Ryan Coolger was recently in Atlanta, filming the sequel to his 2018 superhero smash hit, when he was mistaken for a bank robber. And handcuffed.

Coogler, age 35, was wearing a hat, sunglasses and a Covid face mask when he walked into a Bank of America location in Buckhead. Coogler walked up to a pregnant bank teller, handing over his identification, his California state ID, his Bank of America card, and bank pin number and note that reportedly read: "I would like to withdraw $12,000 cash from my bank account. Please do the money count somewhere else. I'd like to be discreet.”

According to Variety , the bank teller told her boss she suspected this was a robbery attempt, and the teller and called 911. Four cops from Atlanta Police Department showed up.

First the cops detained two of Coogler's associates (one male, one female) who were waiting outside in a SUV with the engine running. They put Coogler's associates in the back of a patrol car. Then, two of the cops handcuffed Coogler, who is Black, and walked him outside, placing him in the back of the police vehicle.

According to The New York Times , Coogler said to the cops, "I'm trying to get money out of my own account," and the bank teller "never said it was a problem." Coogler added. "She got scared when a Black dude handed her a note," Coogler said. "I don't know what else to say. If she was scared, she's got to admit that.”

After verifying Coogler's identity and his Bank of America account, the officers released him and his colleagues.

A Bank of America spokesman said: "We deeply regret that this incident occurred. It never should have happened and we have apologized to Mr. Coogler.”

Coogler apparently took being mistaken for a bank robber in stride. He said: "This incident never should have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on."

Multiple news sites went off about Coogler, a Black man, being profiled as a bank robber just for being, er, Black man withdrawing a large sum of cash.

Then, a plot twist. Turns out, the pregnant bank teller and her boss are Black as well.

Coolger told The New York Times that he was withdrawing the $12,000 to pay a medical assistant who works for his family.

Coogler's sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , is due out in November.

!!FANBOY FUCKUP
A man from Dublin, Georgia is set to serve three years in federal prison for illegally getting a Covid-19 relief loan — and spending more than $57,000 of his loan money on a single collectible Pokemon card.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, the 31-year-old suspect received $85,000 in loan money and spent $57,789 on the rare first-edition Pokemon card, which featured the Charizard dragon. Prosecutors say the 31-year-old will forfeit the collectible Pokemon card to the government as part of his prison sentence. Apparently, the U.S. government will put the rare Pokemon card up for auction.

The 31-year-old allegedly submitted false info to the U.S. Business Administration when he applied for the covid relief loan, falsely claiming he ran an "entertainment services" business with more than 10 employees. He pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

!!FUEL FRENZY
Atlanta police said the "Gas Bandit" has stolen his "last gallon of petroleum" for a while. The Gas Bandit is accused of sliding under people's cars and using a drill to puncture their gas tanks and stealing all the gas — leaving not a drop behind. He swiped fuel from at least 10 people's vehicles in East Atlanta, Kirkwood and Edgewood neighborhoods.

Several victims told police they started their cars the next day, realizing they were totally out of gas, when they knew they had at least a partial tank. Some victims' cars were seriously fucked by the Bandit's drilling. One victim told WSB-TV, "I've got $2,000 worth of damages, not just in the gas tank, but damage to the fuel pump, which is a pretty big issue.”

Apparently, the "Gas Bandit" didn't realize that his own car — a Mercury Mountaineer SUV — and its license plate was recorded on several homeowners' surveillance cameras. Police started a lookout for the Gas Bandit's car — and spotted the Bandit at the intersection of Hosea Williams Drive and Rogers Avenue in Kirkwood. The Gas Bandit, who hails from Washington state, went to jail on felony charges of criminal trespass, damage to property and entering autos. Atlanta Police Department said in a statement, "We applaud the work of everyone involved in this odd case.” —CL— 

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    Illustration by Tray Butler                              THE BLOTTER: Fruitful scam "
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  string(7397) "!!Child’s play

A Georgia state government employee allegedly faked two pregnancies to get paid time off from her job. Now she’s facing multiple fraud charges.
Apparently, a co-worker noticed that a lower part of the female employee’s ‘pregnant’ belly was coming apart from her body. The co-worker told officials it looked like the female employee was wearing a fake pregnancy prosthetic belly.
Several months later, the female employee announced that she’d given birth. “[She] also sent photos of her new baby to various co-workers but the pictures were inconsistent and the children had varying skin colors,” reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, citing the Inspector General’s Office.
Her bosses got an email from a man claiming to be her newborn’s father, stating that doctors ordered several weeks of rest following the delivery. “The state agency approved about seven weeks of paid leave, which the Inspector General’s Office said the agency would not have approved had they known [the suspect] had not given birth,” the AJC reported. 
This was the second time the woman allegedly faked a pregnancy within two years. State officials ran a check on her first so-called pregnancy in 2020 — no birth certificate was ever filed proving the suspect was a mother. Also, officials found no medical or insurance records for the alleged birth.
The 43-year-old suspect worked for the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, supervising media relations and marketing, according to the AJC. She resigned shortly after state fraud investigators interviewed her. Now, she’s facing a slew of fraud charges. 

!!Liquid issues

Cardi B believes there’s “something wrong with the water in Atlanta.” The 29-year-old rapper made her pronouncement during a recent Instagram live post that has since been deleted.
Cardi B said her facial skin became alarmingly dry and the city’s tap water is to blame. “While I was in Atlanta, my face started getting so dry and irritated. I kept putting on moisturizer, moisturizer… (My skin) like started getting so irritated that I started putting on Vaseline. I went the old-school way.”
Cardi B asked her 123 million Instagram followers for advice on what type of moisturizer she should wear while in Atlanta, because she feels like she’s tried everything in the book. 
Cardi B’s negative post triggered a response from Atlanta’s Mayor Andre Dickens, who made sure to compliment the superstar before refuting her claims. "First, we love Cardi B," Mayor Dickens said. "Who can't deny how funny she is and talented."
Mayor Dickens told CBS46.com there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Atlanta’s water, which is tested 50,000 times a year. “It’s a great source of water because it’s so fresh and clean.”
Also, the city’s Department of Watershed Management conducts weekly “water hardness” tests which show that calcium and magnesium levels in Atlanta’s water are considered low by the Environmental Protection Agency. 
Cardi B is married to rapper Offset (an Atlanta native). The couple often spends time in the city.

!!Crash and burn

In Cobb County, a woman woke up thirsty in the wee hours of the morning. So she went to get a glass of water from the kitchen of her home on Clay Road and was stunned. She saw the tail end of a pickup truck and part of her boat inside her house. 
Police said an intoxicated man crashed into her driveway (where her boat was parked) and hit several cars and the boat. Apparently, the suspect fled on food, leaving his pickup truck crashed into the woman’s living room.
“It went by so fast,” the woman told CBS46.com. “I thought somebody was trying to steal the boat.” So far, police haven’t found the suspect.

!!Breaking the bank

In Gwinnett County, a 32-year-old woman jumped a bank counter, telling onlookers to call police while she stole cash.
“You gonna take my motherfucking money. You gonna sit there and take my money?” the woman screamed as she climbed over the counter at a bank on Buford Drive. A male bank employee tried to stop her — but the woman grabbed a pair of scissors from a teller’s desk and fought him off. 
Apparently, the bizarre incident started when the 32-year-old woman tried to withdraw more than $13,000 from a bank account. The bank teller asked the woman for her driver’s license, account number and credit card, according to CBS46.com. Then, the woman provided information that did not match the bank account from which she was trying to withdraw $13k.
The bank teller informed the woman that she couldn’t withdraw $13k — or any money at all — because of the account info snafu. So the woman jumped the counter and allegedly stole $750 dollars. It’s unclear why she asked onlookers to call police as she swiped the money. After getting her hands on the cash, the woman casually walked out from behind the counter and out the door, muttering swear words as she exited the bank.
No one was hurt in the incident. So far, the woman has eluded authorities.

!!One down, one to go

A Peeping Tom was arrested in Midtown, after barring all and repeatedly exposing himself as he peered through windows. 
The 43-year-old male suspect was arrested after allegedly looking through a woman’s window in the 700 block of Penn Avenue. Officers had the surveillance tape of the Peeping Tom incident and recognized the man a few weeks later, when he was arrested while walking down Ponce de Leon Avenue late at night. Officers working the overnight shift recognized him from the surveillance tape. 
Police say the suspect is charged with Peeping Tom, and possession and use of drug-related articles.
Midtown residents have complained for years about chronic Peeping Tom issues and a lack of police action in their neighborhood. And it’s not over yet.
Atlanta police said they believe there’s another Peeping Tom still at large in Midtown.  

!!C’mon baby, light my fire

In Midtown, a man walked up to the Federal Reserve Bank, poured lighter fluid and gasoline near the entrance and set a small fire. He didn’t appear to be trying to hide his actions — he set the fire in broad daylight around 9:30 am. 
Within minutes, police officers, a SWAT team and Homeland Security officials arrived on the scene.
Police said the man had two small gas canisters, loose ammunition and a pair of handcuffs on him at the time of his arrest. The man is charged with destruction of property over $500.
A spokesperson for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta said the building only has minor smoke damage. No one was hurt. 
Authorities are still trying to figure out the man’s motive for setting a fire outside the Fed Reserve building. 

!!Strange blaze, part 2

A firebomb was thrown into the law offices of Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington. Commissioner Arrington told WSB-TV that he didn’t know why his law office was targeted. He added they haven’t received any previous threats or vandalism to his offices on Fairburn Road.
The firebomb incident happened on a Sunday, when the office was empty, so no one was hurt. Fire crews extinguished the flames. The case is still under investigation. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
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  string(7415) "!!Child’s play

A Georgia state government employee allegedly faked two pregnancies to get paid time off from her job. Now she’s facing multiple fraud charges.
Apparently, a co-worker noticed that a lower part of the female employee’s ‘pregnant’ belly was coming apart from her body. The co-worker told officials it looked like the female employee was wearing a fake pregnancy prosthetic belly.
Several months later, the female employee announced that she’d given birth. “[[She] also sent photos of her new baby to various co-workers but the pictures were inconsistent and the children had varying skin colors,” reports the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'', citing the Inspector General’s Office.
Her bosses got an email from a man claiming to be her newborn’s father, stating that doctors ordered several weeks of rest following the delivery. “The state agency approved about seven weeks of paid leave, which the Inspector General’s Office said the agency would not have approved had they known [[the suspect] had not given birth,” the ''AJC'' reported. 
This was the second time the woman allegedly faked a pregnancy within two years. State officials ran a check on her first so-called pregnancy in 2020 — no birth certificate was ever filed proving the suspect was a mother. Also, officials found no medical or insurance records for the alleged birth.
The 43-year-old suspect worked for the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, supervising media relations and marketing, according to the AJC. She resigned shortly after state fraud investigators interviewed her. Now, she’s facing a slew of fraud charges. 

!!Liquid issues

Cardi B believes there’s “something wrong with the water in Atlanta.” The 29-year-old rapper made her pronouncement during a recent Instagram live post that has since been deleted.
Cardi B said her facial skin became alarmingly dry and the city’s tap water is to blame. “While I was in Atlanta, my face started getting so dry and irritated. I kept putting on moisturizer, moisturizer… (My skin) like started getting so irritated that I started putting on Vaseline. I went the old-school way.”
Cardi B asked her 123 million Instagram followers for advice on what type of moisturizer she should wear while in Atlanta, because she feels like she’s tried everything in the book. 
Cardi B’s negative post triggered a response from Atlanta’s Mayor Andre Dickens, who made sure to compliment the superstar before refuting her claims. "First, we love Cardi B," Mayor Dickens said. "Who can't deny how funny she is and talented."
Mayor Dickens told CBS46.com there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Atlanta’s water, which is tested 50,000 times a year. “It’s a great source of water because it’s so fresh and clean.”
Also, the city’s Department of Watershed Management conducts weekly “water hardness” tests which show that calcium and magnesium levels in Atlanta’s water are considered low by the Environmental Protection Agency. 
Cardi B is married to rapper Offset (an Atlanta native). The couple often spends time in the city.

!!Crash and burn

In Cobb County, a woman woke up thirsty in the wee hours of the morning. So she went to get a glass of water from the kitchen of her home on Clay Road and was stunned. She saw the tail end of a pickup truck and part of her boat inside her house. 
Police said an intoxicated man crashed into her driveway (where her boat was parked) and hit several cars and the boat. Apparently, the suspect fled on food, leaving his pickup truck crashed into the woman’s living room.
“It went by so fast,” the woman told CBS46.com. “I thought somebody was trying to steal the boat.” So far, police haven’t found the suspect.

!!Breaking the bank

In Gwinnett County, a 32-year-old woman jumped a bank counter, telling onlookers to call police while she stole cash.
“You gonna take my motherfucking money. You gonna sit there and take my money?” the woman screamed as she climbed over the counter at a bank on Buford Drive. A male bank employee tried to stop her — but the woman grabbed a pair of scissors from a teller’s desk and fought him off. 
Apparently, the bizarre incident started when the 32-year-old woman tried to withdraw more than $13,000 from a bank account. The bank teller asked the woman for her driver’s license, account number and credit card, according to CBS46.com. Then, the woman provided information that did not match the bank account from which she was trying to withdraw $13k.
The bank teller informed the woman that she couldn’t withdraw $13k — or any money at all — because of the account info snafu. So the woman jumped the counter and allegedly stole $750 dollars. It’s unclear why she asked onlookers to call police as she swiped the money. After getting her hands on the cash, the woman casually walked out from behind the counter and out the door, muttering swear words as she exited the bank.
No one was hurt in the incident. So far, the woman has eluded authorities.

!!One down, one to go

A Peeping Tom was arrested in Midtown, after barring all and repeatedly exposing himself as he peered through windows. 
The 43-year-old male suspect was arrested after allegedly looking through a woman’s window in the 700 block of Penn Avenue. Officers had the surveillance tape of the Peeping Tom incident and recognized the man a few weeks later, when he was arrested while walking down Ponce de Leon Avenue late at night. Officers working the overnight shift recognized him from the surveillance tape. 
Police say the suspect is charged with Peeping Tom, and possession and use of drug-related articles.
Midtown residents have complained for years about chronic Peeping Tom issues and a lack of police action in their neighborhood. And it’s not over yet.
Atlanta police said they believe there’s another Peeping Tom still at large in Midtown.  

!!C’mon baby, light my fire

In Midtown, a man walked up to the Federal Reserve Bank, poured lighter fluid and gasoline near the entrance and set a small fire. He didn’t appear to be trying to hide his actions — he set the fire in broad daylight around 9:30 am. 
Within minutes, police officers, a SWAT team and Homeland Security officials arrived on the scene.
Police said the man had two small gas canisters, loose ammunition and a pair of handcuffs on him at the time of his arrest. The man is charged with destruction of property over $500.
A spokesperson for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta said the building only has minor smoke damage. No one was hurt. 
Authorities are still trying to figure out the man’s motive for setting a fire outside the Fed Reserve building. 

!!Strange blaze, part 2

A firebomb was thrown into the law offices of Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington. Commissioner Arrington told WSB-TV that he didn’t know why his law office was targeted. He added they haven’t received any previous threats or vandalism to his offices on Fairburn Road.
The firebomb incident happened on a Sunday, when the office was empty, so no one was hurt. Fire crews extinguished the flames. The case is still under investigation. __—CL—__

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  string(7829) " 0322 Blot Cardi B Final  2022-02-28T14:28:13+00:00 0322 blot Cardi B final.png     the blotter cardi b And other stories of life in the ATL 0322 Blot Cardi B Final   2022-02-28T13:58:34+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Liquid issues jim.harris Jim Harris Lauren Keating lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2022-02-28T13:58:34+00:00 !!Child’s play

A Georgia state government employee allegedly faked two pregnancies to get paid time off from her job. Now she’s facing multiple fraud charges.
Apparently, a co-worker noticed that a lower part of the female employee’s ‘pregnant’ belly was coming apart from her body. The co-worker told officials it looked like the female employee was wearing a fake pregnancy prosthetic belly.
Several months later, the female employee announced that she’d given birth. “[She] also sent photos of her new baby to various co-workers but the pictures were inconsistent and the children had varying skin colors,” reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, citing the Inspector General’s Office.
Her bosses got an email from a man claiming to be her newborn’s father, stating that doctors ordered several weeks of rest following the delivery. “The state agency approved about seven weeks of paid leave, which the Inspector General’s Office said the agency would not have approved had they known [the suspect] had not given birth,” the AJC reported. 
This was the second time the woman allegedly faked a pregnancy within two years. State officials ran a check on her first so-called pregnancy in 2020 — no birth certificate was ever filed proving the suspect was a mother. Also, officials found no medical or insurance records for the alleged birth.
The 43-year-old suspect worked for the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, supervising media relations and marketing, according to the AJC. She resigned shortly after state fraud investigators interviewed her. Now, she’s facing a slew of fraud charges. 

!!Liquid issues

Cardi B believes there’s “something wrong with the water in Atlanta.” The 29-year-old rapper made her pronouncement during a recent Instagram live post that has since been deleted.
Cardi B said her facial skin became alarmingly dry and the city’s tap water is to blame. “While I was in Atlanta, my face started getting so dry and irritated. I kept putting on moisturizer, moisturizer… (My skin) like started getting so irritated that I started putting on Vaseline. I went the old-school way.”
Cardi B asked her 123 million Instagram followers for advice on what type of moisturizer she should wear while in Atlanta, because she feels like she’s tried everything in the book. 
Cardi B’s negative post triggered a response from Atlanta’s Mayor Andre Dickens, who made sure to compliment the superstar before refuting her claims. "First, we love Cardi B," Mayor Dickens said. "Who can't deny how funny she is and talented."
Mayor Dickens told CBS46.com there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Atlanta’s water, which is tested 50,000 times a year. “It’s a great source of water because it’s so fresh and clean.”
Also, the city’s Department of Watershed Management conducts weekly “water hardness” tests which show that calcium and magnesium levels in Atlanta’s water are considered low by the Environmental Protection Agency. 
Cardi B is married to rapper Offset (an Atlanta native). The couple often spends time in the city.

!!Crash and burn

In Cobb County, a woman woke up thirsty in the wee hours of the morning. So she went to get a glass of water from the kitchen of her home on Clay Road and was stunned. She saw the tail end of a pickup truck and part of her boat inside her house. 
Police said an intoxicated man crashed into her driveway (where her boat was parked) and hit several cars and the boat. Apparently, the suspect fled on food, leaving his pickup truck crashed into the woman’s living room.
“It went by so fast,” the woman told CBS46.com. “I thought somebody was trying to steal the boat.” So far, police haven’t found the suspect.

!!Breaking the bank

In Gwinnett County, a 32-year-old woman jumped a bank counter, telling onlookers to call police while she stole cash.
“You gonna take my motherfucking money. You gonna sit there and take my money?” the woman screamed as she climbed over the counter at a bank on Buford Drive. A male bank employee tried to stop her — but the woman grabbed a pair of scissors from a teller’s desk and fought him off. 
Apparently, the bizarre incident started when the 32-year-old woman tried to withdraw more than $13,000 from a bank account. The bank teller asked the woman for her driver’s license, account number and credit card, according to CBS46.com. Then, the woman provided information that did not match the bank account from which she was trying to withdraw $13k.
The bank teller informed the woman that she couldn’t withdraw $13k — or any money at all — because of the account info snafu. So the woman jumped the counter and allegedly stole $750 dollars. It’s unclear why she asked onlookers to call police as she swiped the money. After getting her hands on the cash, the woman casually walked out from behind the counter and out the door, muttering swear words as she exited the bank.
No one was hurt in the incident. So far, the woman has eluded authorities.

!!One down, one to go

A Peeping Tom was arrested in Midtown, after barring all and repeatedly exposing himself as he peered through windows. 
The 43-year-old male suspect was arrested after allegedly looking through a woman’s window in the 700 block of Penn Avenue. Officers had the surveillance tape of the Peeping Tom incident and recognized the man a few weeks later, when he was arrested while walking down Ponce de Leon Avenue late at night. Officers working the overnight shift recognized him from the surveillance tape. 
Police say the suspect is charged with Peeping Tom, and possession and use of drug-related articles.
Midtown residents have complained for years about chronic Peeping Tom issues and a lack of police action in their neighborhood. And it’s not over yet.
Atlanta police said they believe there’s another Peeping Tom still at large in Midtown.  

!!C’mon baby, light my fire

In Midtown, a man walked up to the Federal Reserve Bank, poured lighter fluid and gasoline near the entrance and set a small fire. He didn’t appear to be trying to hide his actions — he set the fire in broad daylight around 9:30 am. 
Within minutes, police officers, a SWAT team and Homeland Security officials arrived on the scene.
Police said the man had two small gas canisters, loose ammunition and a pair of handcuffs on him at the time of his arrest. The man is charged with destruction of property over $500.
A spokesperson for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta said the building only has minor smoke damage. No one was hurt. 
Authorities are still trying to figure out the man’s motive for setting a fire outside the Fed Reserve building. 

!!Strange blaze, part 2

A firebomb was thrown into the law offices of Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington. Commissioner Arrington told WSB-TV that he didn’t know why his law office was targeted. He added they haven’t received any previous threats or vandalism to his offices on Fairburn Road.
The firebomb incident happened on a Sunday, when the office was empty, so no one was hurt. Fire crews extinguished the flames. The case is still under investigation. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    Illustration by Tray Butler       "The Blotter" "Cardi B"                       THE BLOTTER: Liquid issues "
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  string(5668) "A 37-year-old woman wearing a robot Halloween mask and a flower-print dress allegedly tried to rob a Wells Fargo bank in Warner Robins, GA. She walked in and told people inside, “This is a stickup, this is a robbery. Get down or else.”

The masked woman argued with several bank employees — and ultimately left without any money, according to WSB-TV Action News.

Her next move was bizarre. The woman — moments after trying to rob a bank — went shopping at the Walmart located directly behind to the bank. Police arrived and promptly arrested her at the Walmart.

Police say the woman was armed with a weapon, but they aren’t confirming what type of weapon.

!!Flying off the handle
An ex-Playboy model and Baywatch “actress” allegedly had an expletive-filled meltdown and assaulted an 80-year-old fellow passenger on a recent Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta.

The “actress” was returning from the plane’s bathroom to her seat — but a flight attendant with a drink cart was blocking her way, according to Tribune News Service and Fox News.

The flight attendant asked the “actress” to find an open seat until beverage service was completed.

“What am I, Rosa Parks?” the “actress” reportedly told the flight attendant.

The 80-year-old seated passenger overheard her “Rosa Parks” comment and got involved. He told the “actress” that she “isn’t Black” and they aren’t on a bus or in Alabama.

“Put your fucking mask on,” the “actress” screamed at the 80-year-old.

“I’m eating and can do it with my mask off,” he replied. “Do you want me to pour this over your head, god damn?”

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that,” the “actress” yelled.

“I’ll talk to you any fucking way I want to,” the 80-year-old shouted.

“Sit your ass down,” the “actress” screamed.

“Sit down, Karen,” yelled the 80-year-old. (No, the “actress”’s name isn’t Karen. It’s the insult “Karen.”)

“You’ve got your mask down, bitch,” the 80-year-old man told the “actress.”

“Did you just call me a bitch?” the “actress” responded.

“Yes, I did,” said the 80-year-old man.

Moments later, the “actress” allegedly hit the 80-year-old man’s head “with a closed fist” and spit on him.

“Now, you’re going to jail,” the 80-year-old man replied, throwing in the b-word and the p-word a few more times.

Flight attendants had to restrain the “actress.” When the plane finally landed, Atlanta police officers met her at the gate and arrested the ex-Playboy model and Baywatch “actress” on federal assault charges.

!!            Madcap racing
At 9 p.m. in Coweta County, a middle-aged male stranger knocked up on a woman’s front door on New Street and issued one demand: Return his go-cart. Now.

The woman opened her front door and listened. She’d never met this middle-aged stranger before.

The woman said: I don’t know what you are talking about. She said she didn’t have his go-cart.

The middle-aged stranger responded by allegedly pointing a gun at her head, and kidnapping her.

The woman was forced into a waiting minivan, which was being driven by another guy. They took the woman to a convenience store in nearby Whitesburg, GA.

The middle-aged stranger asked the woman: Are you afraid? Yes, the woman responded, explaining again that she does not have his precious go-kart. The stranger went into the convenience store to buy something. Around this time, the woman made a quick, frantic call to her female friend, who contacted authorities.

The stranger walked out of the convenience store, hopped back in the minivan and told his driver to go back to the woman’s neighborhood in Coweta County. When they arrived outside her home, the stranger and the woman got out. The minivan driver sped away.

The middle-aged stranger and the woman — now crying and upset — were both outside her home when Coweta County Sheriff’s deputies showed up. Quickly, deputies used a stun-gun to subdue the stranger. Officers searched him and found a 9mm handgun in his pocket “along with two smoking pipes that tested positive for methamphetamine,” reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The stranger, age 56, was arrested and charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, gun possession by a convicted felon, and several drug-related offenses.

And his go-kart? Never found.

!!From fame to shame
A string of celebs are among the 19 people recently charged in Georgia for allegedly scamming more than $3 million total from the federal Paycheck Protection Program.

Here’s how the scam worked: Each one allegedly made up a fake business and fake employees in order to apply for a PPP loan. An Atlanta man who works as a business consultant allegedly showed them how to do it. Then, the Atlanta man helped them make loan applications to PPP based on agreed-upon fake numbers. When the celebs (and others) received their PPP loan money, they paid a “success fee” to an Atlanta man. (The success fee equals 2%-5% of the total loan amount.) The Atlanta man reportedly raked in $600,000 in “success fees.”

According to the AJC, the celebs include Ion Overman, an actress who appeared in Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail; “Clos” Stephens, a music producer who has worked with Master P and Little Romeo; Dale Godboldo, an actor in Thor; and hip-hop media personality Marvin Lewton, also known as OG Shadi Powers.

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
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The masked woman argued with several bank employees — and ultimately left without any money, according to WSB-TV Action News.

Her next move was bizarre. The woman — moments after trying to rob a bank — went shopping at the Walmart located directly behind to the bank. Police arrived and promptly arrested her at the Walmart.

Police say the woman was armed with a weapon, but they aren’t confirming what type of weapon.

!!__Flying off the handle__
An ex-Playboy model and ''Baywatch'' “actress” allegedly had an expletive-filled meltdown and assaulted an 80-year-old fellow passenger on a recent Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta.

The “actress” was returning from the plane’s bathroom to her seat — but a flight attendant with a drink cart was blocking her way, according to Tribune News Service and Fox News.

The flight attendant asked the “actress” to find an open seat until beverage service was completed.

“What am I, Rosa Parks?” the “actress” reportedly told the flight attendant.

The 80-year-old seated passenger overheard her “Rosa Parks” comment and got involved. He told the “actress” that she “isn’t Black” and they aren’t on a bus or in Alabama.

“Put your fucking mask on,” the “actress” screamed at the 80-year-old.

“I’m eating and can do it with my mask off,” he replied. “Do you want me to pour this over your head, god damn?”

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that,” the “actress” yelled.

“I’ll talk to you any fucking way I want to,” the 80-year-old shouted.

“Sit your ass down,” the “actress” screamed.

“Sit down, Karen,” yelled the 80-year-old. (No, the “actress”’s name isn’t Karen. It’s the insult “Karen.”)

“You’ve got your mask down, bitch,” the 80-year-old man told the “actress.”

“Did you just call me a bitch?” the “actress” responded.

“Yes, I did,” said the 80-year-old man.

Moments later, the “actress” allegedly hit the 80-year-old man’s head “with a closed fist” and spit on him.

“Now, you’re going to jail,” the 80-year-old man replied, throwing in the b-word and the p-word a few more times.

Flight attendants had to restrain the “actress.” When the plane finally landed, Atlanta police officers met her at the gate and arrested the ex-Playboy model and ''Baywatch'' “actress” on federal assault charges.

!! %%%  %%%  %%%  %%%  %%%  %%% __Madcap racing__
At 9 p.m. in Coweta County, a middle-aged male stranger knocked up on a woman’s front door on New Street and issued one demand: Return his go-cart. Now.

The woman opened her front door and listened. She’d never met this middle-aged stranger before.

The woman said: I don’t know what you are talking about. She said she didn’t have his go-cart.

The middle-aged stranger responded by allegedly pointing a gun at her head, and kidnapping her.

The woman was forced into a waiting minivan, which was being driven by another guy. They took the woman to a convenience store in nearby Whitesburg, GA.

The middle-aged stranger asked the woman: Are you afraid? Yes, the woman responded, explaining again that she does not have his precious go-kart. The stranger went into the convenience store to buy something. Around this time, the woman made a quick, frantic call to her female friend, who contacted authorities.

The stranger walked out of the convenience store, hopped back in the minivan and told his driver to go back to the woman’s neighborhood in Coweta County. When they arrived outside her home, the stranger and the woman got out. The minivan driver sped away.

The middle-aged stranger and the woman — now crying and upset — were both outside her home when Coweta County Sheriff’s deputies showed up. Quickly, deputies used a stun-gun to subdue the stranger. Officers searched him and found a 9mm handgun in his pocket “along with two smoking pipes that tested positive for methamphetamine,” reported the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution''.

The stranger, age 56, was arrested and charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, gun possession by a convicted felon, and several drug-related offenses.

And his go-kart? Never found.

!!__From fame to shame__
A string of celebs are among the 19 people recently charged in Georgia for allegedly scamming more than $3 million total from the federal Paycheck Protection Program.

Here’s how the scam worked: Each one allegedly made up a fake business and fake employees in order to apply for a PPP loan. An Atlanta man who works as a business consultant allegedly showed them how to do it. Then, the Atlanta man helped them make loan applications to PPP based on agreed-upon fake numbers. When the celebs (and others) received their PPP loan money, they paid a “success fee” to an Atlanta man. (The success fee equals 2%-5% of the total loan amount.) The Atlanta man reportedly raked in $600,000 in “success fees.”

According to the ''AJC'', the celebs include Ion Overman, an actress who appeared in Tyler Perry’s ''Madea Goes to Jail''; “Clos” Stephens, a music producer who has worked with Master P and Little Romeo; Dale Godboldo, an actor in ''Thor''; and hip-hop media personality Marvin Lewton, also known as OG Shadi Powers.

''The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.''"
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  string(6117) " FEB Blotter Robot Robber 01 Reduced  2022-02-03T20:17:45+00:00 FEB_Blotter_robot_robber-01_reduced.jpg      And other stories of life in the ATL FEB Blotter Robot Robber 01 Reduced   2022-02-01T15:14:00+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Don’t bank on it 2022 jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2022-02-01T15:14:00+00:00 A 37-year-old woman wearing a robot Halloween mask and a flower-print dress allegedly tried to rob a Wells Fargo bank in Warner Robins, GA. She walked in and told people inside, “This is a stickup, this is a robbery. Get down or else.”

The masked woman argued with several bank employees — and ultimately left without any money, according to WSB-TV Action News.

Her next move was bizarre. The woman — moments after trying to rob a bank — went shopping at the Walmart located directly behind to the bank. Police arrived and promptly arrested her at the Walmart.

Police say the woman was armed with a weapon, but they aren’t confirming what type of weapon.

!!Flying off the handle
An ex-Playboy model and Baywatch “actress” allegedly had an expletive-filled meltdown and assaulted an 80-year-old fellow passenger on a recent Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta.

The “actress” was returning from the plane’s bathroom to her seat — but a flight attendant with a drink cart was blocking her way, according to Tribune News Service and Fox News.

The flight attendant asked the “actress” to find an open seat until beverage service was completed.

“What am I, Rosa Parks?” the “actress” reportedly told the flight attendant.

The 80-year-old seated passenger overheard her “Rosa Parks” comment and got involved. He told the “actress” that she “isn’t Black” and they aren’t on a bus or in Alabama.

“Put your fucking mask on,” the “actress” screamed at the 80-year-old.

“I’m eating and can do it with my mask off,” he replied. “Do you want me to pour this over your head, god damn?”

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that,” the “actress” yelled.

“I’ll talk to you any fucking way I want to,” the 80-year-old shouted.

“Sit your ass down,” the “actress” screamed.

“Sit down, Karen,” yelled the 80-year-old. (No, the “actress”’s name isn’t Karen. It’s the insult “Karen.”)

“You’ve got your mask down, bitch,” the 80-year-old man told the “actress.”

“Did you just call me a bitch?” the “actress” responded.

“Yes, I did,” said the 80-year-old man.

Moments later, the “actress” allegedly hit the 80-year-old man’s head “with a closed fist” and spit on him.

“Now, you’re going to jail,” the 80-year-old man replied, throwing in the b-word and the p-word a few more times.

Flight attendants had to restrain the “actress.” When the plane finally landed, Atlanta police officers met her at the gate and arrested the ex-Playboy model and Baywatch “actress” on federal assault charges.

!!            Madcap racing
At 9 p.m. in Coweta County, a middle-aged male stranger knocked up on a woman’s front door on New Street and issued one demand: Return his go-cart. Now.

The woman opened her front door and listened. She’d never met this middle-aged stranger before.

The woman said: I don’t know what you are talking about. She said she didn’t have his go-cart.

The middle-aged stranger responded by allegedly pointing a gun at her head, and kidnapping her.

The woman was forced into a waiting minivan, which was being driven by another guy. They took the woman to a convenience store in nearby Whitesburg, GA.

The middle-aged stranger asked the woman: Are you afraid? Yes, the woman responded, explaining again that she does not have his precious go-kart. The stranger went into the convenience store to buy something. Around this time, the woman made a quick, frantic call to her female friend, who contacted authorities.

The stranger walked out of the convenience store, hopped back in the minivan and told his driver to go back to the woman’s neighborhood in Coweta County. When they arrived outside her home, the stranger and the woman got out. The minivan driver sped away.

The middle-aged stranger and the woman — now crying and upset — were both outside her home when Coweta County Sheriff’s deputies showed up. Quickly, deputies used a stun-gun to subdue the stranger. Officers searched him and found a 9mm handgun in his pocket “along with two smoking pipes that tested positive for methamphetamine,” reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The stranger, age 56, was arrested and charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, gun possession by a convicted felon, and several drug-related offenses.

And his go-kart? Never found.

!!From fame to shame
A string of celebs are among the 19 people recently charged in Georgia for allegedly scamming more than $3 million total from the federal Paycheck Protection Program.

Here’s how the scam worked: Each one allegedly made up a fake business and fake employees in order to apply for a PPP loan. An Atlanta man who works as a business consultant allegedly showed them how to do it. Then, the Atlanta man helped them make loan applications to PPP based on agreed-upon fake numbers. When the celebs (and others) received their PPP loan money, they paid a “success fee” to an Atlanta man. (The success fee equals 2%-5% of the total loan amount.) The Atlanta man reportedly raked in $600,000 in “success fees.”

According to the AJC, the celebs include Ion Overman, an actress who appeared in Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail; “Clos” Stephens, a music producer who has worked with Master P and Little Romeo; Dale Godboldo, an actor in Thor; and hip-hop media personality Marvin Lewton, also known as OG Shadi Powers.

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    ILLUSTRATION TRAY BUTLER   0,0,10                           THE BLOTTER: Don’t bank on it 2022 "
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  string(9487) "The year 2021 was a big ball of blah. It was the year that was supposed to herald a “return to normal” — only to have any sense of normal snatched away by fresh waves of new strains of the coronavirus, the dreaded Delta and the seemingly omnipotent Omicron variants. Both which make it sound like we’re battling a bevy of out-of-control fraternity parties. “Hey, Delta Kappa Delta and Omicron Alpha are out to getcha!”

It was the best of times. (Yay, vaccines!)

And the worst of times. (Boo, stupidity and “doing your own research.”)

Yes, 2021 was a rough year. However, Georgia is filled with enough kooky lawbreakers to keep us entertained.

!!And the beat goes on

In Buckhead, some neighbors are fed up with a “problem party house” that’s actually a luxury estate where hosts regularly throw parties for hundreds of people featuring “college-style drums.”

Fox 5 News reported on a recent December bash. “On Saturday, at an estate in Buckhead, (the neighbors) came out of their homes to see a full-fledged band with college-style drums and other instruments blaring in the front yard.”

We’re just dying to know what “college-style drums” sound like. Does that mean unskilled percussionists? Or marching-band sounds? A drum circle? Or just drunken “wanna bang on my drum all day, and party every night” noises?

One homeowner tells Atlanta’s Fox-5 News: “The noise was awful. Each time a guest would arrive, they would drum up.”

Atlanta City Councilman Howard Shook lives just two blocks from the “problem party house.” He says he understands why neighbors are angry. Apparently, the epic parties have been happening for more than two years. When Shook heard about that December party, he quickly contacted Buckhead’s police commander. A police cruiser was dispatched and parked in front of the “party house” for about an hour. “The music and the party … did not stop. That fact further frustrated the neighbors,” reported Fox 5 News. “But Shook revealed a citation for a noise violation was issued. And the councilman said that was all the officer could do in that situation. Shook said the matter must work its way through the court.”

!!Bittersweet revenge

A brawl over a packet of artificial sweetener erupted at a McDonald’s drive-thru window near I-75 in Locust Grove, GA.

A married couple ordering food from their car requested a Splenda packet. According to police, employees told the couple: Nope, drive-thru customers must walk inside the McDonald’s to get that precious packet of Splenda sweetener.

This enraged the husband and wife — who both got out of the car and started raising hell. They yelled and banged on the drive-thru window and tossed items at workers inside. The wife allegedly threw her drink and tried to hit a McDonald’s employee.

Then, the husband allegedly crawled through the drive-thru window, grabbed a chair and hit the McDonald’s manager in the leg. The wife shoved her head and torso through the drive-thru window and started tossing any McDonald’s items within her reach, including drink lids.

Several teenage employees hid inside a refrigerator, fearing for their lives. “I was scared because like, you never know how crazy people are like,” a 16-year-old employee told WSB-TV.

The couple fled after the fight, driving away. Of course, the Splenda showdown was recorded on cell phone video — which went viral. Less than two weeks later, the husband and wife were arrested at a traffic stop and taken to a Henry County jail. The husband is charged with battery; the wife with assault. Both face charges of criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct.

In a statement, Henry County Sheriff Reginald B. Scandrett said the viral video “clearly shows actions that blatantly violated the law and brought national embarrassment to the people of our great county.”

!!Pandemic showdown at Mickey D’s

At a McDonald’s in Decatur, a woman claims an employee pointed a gun at her during a confusing spat over her lack of mask-wearing.

She told Channel CBS46 Atlanta News that she walked into the McDonald’s without a mask on her face — and eventually asked the McDonald’s manager to give her a mask to comply with the store’s policies. “They had already served people who didn’t have a mask, plus we were not the only people in the store who didn’t have masks. So when I asked if they had any masks back there, they started yelling at me.”

The woman, who hails from Athens, Ga., continued. “The manager came from behind her work station and she slapped my phone out of my hand and when I went to pick it up — and I turned around — she had a 9-millimeter handgun and she proceeded to act like she was going to hit me with it.”

DeKalb investigators confirm they have the woman’s cell-phone video of the alleged showdown. But the next steps seem a bit murky, according to CBS46.com: “DeKalb Police told CBS-46 that even though (the woman) did report it to police, she was encouraged to apply for a civilian warrant in the Magistrate Court, which as of Wednesday (Dec. 8), she has not.”

!!Home is where you hang your hat?

An alleged high-end squatter managed to live in a $1 million dollar Ansley Park luxury home for over two years before Fulton County marshals finally evicted him.

The Ansley Park homeowner was desperate to get rid of the alleged squatter man, who apparently got in by pretending to want to buy the home and offering a “sweet deal” in September 2019. The squatter and his family moved in before the deal closed and paid rent for a few months.

“In my opinion, I don’t think they were ever going to buy the house. It’s just how they got in,” the homeowner told WSB-TV.

The homeowner said for months, the high-end squatter kept pushing back the closing date, then canceled the deal but stayed in the Ansley Park home — and stopped paying rent.

The alleged squatter’s attorney stated in an email to WSB-TV. “They are not squatting, they are landlord and tenant. The landlord/tenant dispute arose after a tree fell on the residence.”

The homeowner said a tree did fall on the Ansley Park home in October 2020, but the alleged squatter refused to let contractors inside to complete repairs and kept living in the home for another 14 months, refusing to pay rent most of that time.

Meanwhile, the homeowner and his family had to live in short-term rentals while the dispute played out in courts. “You know, money’s a big thing. But I had to move my family six different times in the past 10 months, and that’s my daughter, my husband, even my dog,” the homeowner told WSB-TV.

Marshals finally evicted the alleged high-end squatters in December 2021, tossing their belongings onto the front lawn. The Ansley Park homeowner was both elated and exhausted after his two-year battle. “I feel like I just won a Super Bowl and I just got out of an abusive relationship,” the homeowner says.

Apparently, the luxury squatter has pulled off similar ruses before. A WSB-TV/Channel 2 reporter checked court records and discovered that Fox News chatter-host Sean Hannity earlier had sued the same alleged high-end squatter man in Cobb County; a judge there ordered the man to pay Hannity $900,000 in the real estate dispute.

!!Snakes on a plane

A 35-year-old man admitted that he illegally shipped venomous snakes and turtles from his home in Valdosta, GA.

The man accepted $3,300 to send 19 endangered turtles to a customer in Florida, knowing that the turtles would ultimately be shipped to China, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. The man shipped the turtles in a box labeled “Live Tropical Fish.”

Several months later, the same man sent a package of 15 Gaboon vipers to Florida, with the final destination of China. “The label on the box said it contained harmless reptiles and bail pythons when it really contained venomous snakes,” prosecutors told the AJ-C..

The man faces up to 5 years in prison on a wildlife trafficking charge, plus up to 10 years on an unrelated gun charge.

!!Rough ride from Hell

A 34-year-old man contacted a rideshare company and requested a ride. A male driver picked him up. During the ride, the 34-year-old passenger asked the driver for a cigarette. The rideshare driver said he didn’t have any cigarettes to give away. The 34-year-old passenger got pissed, pulled out two handguns, and told the driver to keep driving or he would be shot, according to 11Alive News.

The rideshare driver reportedly drove to a Family Dollar store on Joseph Lowery Boulevard — and escaped from his own car, leaving behind the angry and armed 34-year-old passenger. The driver called police and described the passenger.

Atlanta police officers quickly tracked down the 34-year-old passenger, who tried to run when police found him. After a short foot chase, cops quickly arrested him. The 34-year-old’s backpack contained: meth, MDMA, oxycodone, bath salts, cocaine, and cough syrup. One of his guns was found in his backpack; the other gun he’d hidden in the rideshare driver’s car. The 34-year-old went to jail on multiple charges.

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
  ["tracker_field_contentWikiPage_raw"]=>
  string(9527) "The year 2021 was a big ball of blah. It was the year that was supposed to herald a “return to normal” — only to have any sense of normal snatched away by fresh waves of new strains of the coronavirus, the dreaded Delta and the seemingly omnipotent Omicron variants. Both which make it sound like we’re battling a bevy of out-of-control fraternity parties. “Hey, Delta Kappa Delta and Omicron Alpha are out to getcha!”

It was the best of times. (Yay, vaccines!)

And the worst of times. (Boo, stupidity and “doing your own research.”)

Yes, 2021 was a rough year. However, Georgia is filled with enough kooky lawbreakers to keep us entertained.

!!__And the beat goes on__

In Buckhead, some neighbors are fed up with a “problem party house” that’s actually a luxury estate where hosts regularly throw parties for hundreds of people featuring “college-style drums.”

Fox 5 News reported on a recent December bash. “On Saturday, at an estate in Buckhead, (the neighbors) came out of their homes to see a full-fledged band with college-style drums and other instruments blaring in the front yard.”

We’re just dying to know what “college-style drums” sound like. Does that mean unskilled percussionists? Or marching-band sounds? A drum circle? Or just drunken “wanna bang on my drum all day, and party every night” noises?

One homeowner tells Atlanta’s Fox-5 News: “The noise was awful. Each time a guest would arrive, they would drum up.”

Atlanta City Councilman Howard Shook lives just two blocks from the “problem party house.” He says he understands why neighbors are angry. Apparently, the epic parties have been happening for more than two years. When Shook heard about that December party, he quickly contacted Buckhead’s police commander. A police cruiser was dispatched and parked in front of the “party house” for about an hour. “The music and the party … did not stop. That fact further frustrated the neighbors,” reported Fox 5 News. “But Shook revealed a citation for a noise violation was issued. And the councilman said that was all the officer could do in that situation. Shook said the matter must work its way through the court.”

!!__Bittersweet revenge__

A brawl over a packet of artificial sweetener erupted at a McDonald’s drive-thru window near I-75 in Locust Grove, GA.

A married couple ordering food from their car requested a Splenda packet. According to police, employees told the couple: Nope, drive-thru customers must walk inside the McDonald’s to get that precious packet of Splenda sweetener.

This enraged the husband and wife — who both got out of the car and started raising hell. They yelled and banged on the drive-thru window and tossed items at workers inside. The wife allegedly threw her drink and tried to hit a McDonald’s employee.

Then, the husband allegedly crawled through the drive-thru window, grabbed a chair and hit the McDonald’s manager in the leg. The wife shoved her head and torso through the drive-thru window and started tossing any McDonald’s items within her reach, including drink lids.

Several teenage employees hid inside a refrigerator, fearing for their lives. “I was scared because like, you never know how crazy people are like,” a 16-year-old employee told WSB-TV.

The couple fled after the fight, driving away. Of course, the Splenda showdown was recorded on cell phone video — which went viral. Less than two weeks later, the husband and wife were arrested at a traffic stop and taken to a Henry County jail. The husband is charged with battery; the wife with assault. Both face charges of criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct.

In a statement, Henry County Sheriff Reginald B. Scandrett said the viral video “clearly shows actions that blatantly violated the law and brought national embarrassment to the people of our great county.”

!!__Pandemic showdown at Mickey D’s__

At a McDonald’s in Decatur, a woman claims an employee pointed a gun at her during a confusing spat over her lack of mask-wearing.

She told Channel CBS46 Atlanta News that she walked into the McDonald’s without a mask on her face — and eventually asked the McDonald’s manager to give her a mask to comply with the store’s policies. “They had already served people who didn’t have a mask, plus we were not the only people in the store who didn’t have masks. So when I asked if they had any masks back there, they started yelling at me.”

The woman, who hails from Athens, Ga., continued. “The manager came from behind her work station and she slapped my phone out of my hand and when I went to pick it up — and I turned around — she had a 9-millimeter handgun and she proceeded to act like she was going to hit me with it.”

DeKalb investigators confirm they have the woman’s cell-phone video of the alleged showdown. But the next steps seem a bit murky, according to CBS46.com: “DeKalb Police told CBS-46 that even though (the woman) did report it to police, she was encouraged to apply for a civilian warrant in the Magistrate Court, which as of Wednesday (Dec. 8), she has not.”

!!__Home is where you hang your hat?__

An alleged high-end squatter managed to live in a $1 million dollar Ansley Park luxury home for over ''two years'' before Fulton County marshals finally evicted him.

The Ansley Park homeowner was desperate to get rid of the alleged squatter man, who apparently got in by pretending to want to buy the home and offering a “sweet deal” in September 2019. The squatter and his family moved in before the deal closed and paid rent for a few months.

“In my opinion, I don’t think they were ever going to buy the house. It’s just how they got in,” the homeowner told WSB-TV.

The homeowner said for months, the high-end squatter kept pushing back the closing date, then canceled the deal but stayed in the Ansley Park home — and stopped paying rent.

The alleged squatter’s attorney stated in an email to WSB-TV. “They are not squatting, they are landlord and tenant. The landlord/tenant dispute arose after a tree fell on the residence.”

The homeowner said a tree did fall on the Ansley Park home in October 2020, but the alleged squatter refused to let contractors inside to complete repairs and kept living in the home for another 14 months, refusing to pay rent most of that time.

Meanwhile, the homeowner and his family had to live in short-term rentals while the dispute played out in courts. “You know, money’s a big thing. But I had to move my family six different times in the past 10 months, and that’s my daughter, my husband, even my dog,” the homeowner told WSB-TV.

Marshals finally evicted the alleged high-end squatters in December 2021, tossing their belongings onto the front lawn. The Ansley Park homeowner was both elated and exhausted after his two-year battle. “I feel like I just won a Super Bowl and I just got out of an abusive relationship,” the homeowner says.

Apparently, the luxury squatter has pulled off similar ruses before. A WSB-TV/Channel 2 reporter checked court records and discovered that Fox News chatter-host Sean Hannity earlier had sued the same alleged high-end squatter man in Cobb County; a judge there ordered the man to pay Hannity $900,000 in the real estate dispute.

!!__Snakes on a plane__

A 35-year-old man admitted that he illegally shipped venomous snakes and turtles from his home in Valdosta, GA.

The man accepted $3,300 to send 19 endangered turtles to a customer in Florida, knowing that the turtles would ultimately be shipped to China, according to the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. The man shipped the turtles in a box labeled “Live Tropical Fish.”

Several months later, the same man sent a package of 15 Gaboon vipers to Florida, with the final destination of China. “The label on the box said it contained harmless reptiles and bail pythons when it really contained venomous snakes,” prosecutors told the ''AJ-C.''.

The man faces up to 5 years in prison on a wildlife trafficking charge, plus up to 10 years on an unrelated gun charge.

!!__Rough ride from Hell__

A 34-year-old man contacted a rideshare company and requested a ride. A male driver picked him up. During the ride, the 34-year-old passenger asked the driver for a cigarette. The rideshare driver said he didn’t have any cigarettes to give away. The 34-year-old passenger got pissed, pulled out two handguns, and told the driver to keep driving or he would be shot, according to 11Alive News.

The rideshare driver reportedly drove to a Family Dollar store on Joseph Lowery Boulevard — and escaped from his own car, leaving behind the angry and armed 34-year-old passenger. The driver called police and described the passenger.

Atlanta police officers quickly tracked down the 34-year-old passenger, who tried to run when police found him. After a short foot chase, cops quickly arrested him. The 34-year-old’s backpack contained: meth, MDMA, oxycodone, bath salts, cocaine, and cough syrup. One of his guns was found in his backpack; the other gun he’d hidden in the rideshare driver’s car. The 34-year-old went to jail on multiple charges.

''The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.''"
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  string(9910) " 0122 Blot Noisy New Year Final1  2022-01-04T20:55:09+00:00 0122-blot-noisy_new_year_final1.jpg      And other tales of life in the ATL 0122 Blot Noisy New Year Final1   2022-01-04T20:44:23+00:00  THE BLOTTER: The beat goes on jim.harris Jim Harris Lauren Keating lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2022-01-04T20:44:23+00:00 The year 2021 was a big ball of blah. It was the year that was supposed to herald a “return to normal” — only to have any sense of normal snatched away by fresh waves of new strains of the coronavirus, the dreaded Delta and the seemingly omnipotent Omicron variants. Both which make it sound like we’re battling a bevy of out-of-control fraternity parties. “Hey, Delta Kappa Delta and Omicron Alpha are out to getcha!”

It was the best of times. (Yay, vaccines!)

And the worst of times. (Boo, stupidity and “doing your own research.”)

Yes, 2021 was a rough year. However, Georgia is filled with enough kooky lawbreakers to keep us entertained.

!!And the beat goes on

In Buckhead, some neighbors are fed up with a “problem party house” that’s actually a luxury estate where hosts regularly throw parties for hundreds of people featuring “college-style drums.”

Fox 5 News reported on a recent December bash. “On Saturday, at an estate in Buckhead, (the neighbors) came out of their homes to see a full-fledged band with college-style drums and other instruments blaring in the front yard.”

We’re just dying to know what “college-style drums” sound like. Does that mean unskilled percussionists? Or marching-band sounds? A drum circle? Or just drunken “wanna bang on my drum all day, and party every night” noises?

One homeowner tells Atlanta’s Fox-5 News: “The noise was awful. Each time a guest would arrive, they would drum up.”

Atlanta City Councilman Howard Shook lives just two blocks from the “problem party house.” He says he understands why neighbors are angry. Apparently, the epic parties have been happening for more than two years. When Shook heard about that December party, he quickly contacted Buckhead’s police commander. A police cruiser was dispatched and parked in front of the “party house” for about an hour. “The music and the party … did not stop. That fact further frustrated the neighbors,” reported Fox 5 News. “But Shook revealed a citation for a noise violation was issued. And the councilman said that was all the officer could do in that situation. Shook said the matter must work its way through the court.”

!!Bittersweet revenge

A brawl over a packet of artificial sweetener erupted at a McDonald’s drive-thru window near I-75 in Locust Grove, GA.

A married couple ordering food from their car requested a Splenda packet. According to police, employees told the couple: Nope, drive-thru customers must walk inside the McDonald’s to get that precious packet of Splenda sweetener.

This enraged the husband and wife — who both got out of the car and started raising hell. They yelled and banged on the drive-thru window and tossed items at workers inside. The wife allegedly threw her drink and tried to hit a McDonald’s employee.

Then, the husband allegedly crawled through the drive-thru window, grabbed a chair and hit the McDonald’s manager in the leg. The wife shoved her head and torso through the drive-thru window and started tossing any McDonald’s items within her reach, including drink lids.

Several teenage employees hid inside a refrigerator, fearing for their lives. “I was scared because like, you never know how crazy people are like,” a 16-year-old employee told WSB-TV.

The couple fled after the fight, driving away. Of course, the Splenda showdown was recorded on cell phone video — which went viral. Less than two weeks later, the husband and wife were arrested at a traffic stop and taken to a Henry County jail. The husband is charged with battery; the wife with assault. Both face charges of criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct.

In a statement, Henry County Sheriff Reginald B. Scandrett said the viral video “clearly shows actions that blatantly violated the law and brought national embarrassment to the people of our great county.”

!!Pandemic showdown at Mickey D’s

At a McDonald’s in Decatur, a woman claims an employee pointed a gun at her during a confusing spat over her lack of mask-wearing.

She told Channel CBS46 Atlanta News that she walked into the McDonald’s without a mask on her face — and eventually asked the McDonald’s manager to give her a mask to comply with the store’s policies. “They had already served people who didn’t have a mask, plus we were not the only people in the store who didn’t have masks. So when I asked if they had any masks back there, they started yelling at me.”

The woman, who hails from Athens, Ga., continued. “The manager came from behind her work station and she slapped my phone out of my hand and when I went to pick it up — and I turned around — she had a 9-millimeter handgun and she proceeded to act like she was going to hit me with it.”

DeKalb investigators confirm they have the woman’s cell-phone video of the alleged showdown. But the next steps seem a bit murky, according to CBS46.com: “DeKalb Police told CBS-46 that even though (the woman) did report it to police, she was encouraged to apply for a civilian warrant in the Magistrate Court, which as of Wednesday (Dec. 8), she has not.”

!!Home is where you hang your hat?

An alleged high-end squatter managed to live in a $1 million dollar Ansley Park luxury home for over two years before Fulton County marshals finally evicted him.

The Ansley Park homeowner was desperate to get rid of the alleged squatter man, who apparently got in by pretending to want to buy the home and offering a “sweet deal” in September 2019. The squatter and his family moved in before the deal closed and paid rent for a few months.

“In my opinion, I don’t think they were ever going to buy the house. It’s just how they got in,” the homeowner told WSB-TV.

The homeowner said for months, the high-end squatter kept pushing back the closing date, then canceled the deal but stayed in the Ansley Park home — and stopped paying rent.

The alleged squatter’s attorney stated in an email to WSB-TV. “They are not squatting, they are landlord and tenant. The landlord/tenant dispute arose after a tree fell on the residence.”

The homeowner said a tree did fall on the Ansley Park home in October 2020, but the alleged squatter refused to let contractors inside to complete repairs and kept living in the home for another 14 months, refusing to pay rent most of that time.

Meanwhile, the homeowner and his family had to live in short-term rentals while the dispute played out in courts. “You know, money’s a big thing. But I had to move my family six different times in the past 10 months, and that’s my daughter, my husband, even my dog,” the homeowner told WSB-TV.

Marshals finally evicted the alleged high-end squatters in December 2021, tossing their belongings onto the front lawn. The Ansley Park homeowner was both elated and exhausted after his two-year battle. “I feel like I just won a Super Bowl and I just got out of an abusive relationship,” the homeowner says.

Apparently, the luxury squatter has pulled off similar ruses before. A WSB-TV/Channel 2 reporter checked court records and discovered that Fox News chatter-host Sean Hannity earlier had sued the same alleged high-end squatter man in Cobb County; a judge there ordered the man to pay Hannity $900,000 in the real estate dispute.

!!Snakes on a plane

A 35-year-old man admitted that he illegally shipped venomous snakes and turtles from his home in Valdosta, GA.

The man accepted $3,300 to send 19 endangered turtles to a customer in Florida, knowing that the turtles would ultimately be shipped to China, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. The man shipped the turtles in a box labeled “Live Tropical Fish.”

Several months later, the same man sent a package of 15 Gaboon vipers to Florida, with the final destination of China. “The label on the box said it contained harmless reptiles and bail pythons when it really contained venomous snakes,” prosecutors told the AJ-C..

The man faces up to 5 years in prison on a wildlife trafficking charge, plus up to 10 years on an unrelated gun charge.

!!Rough ride from Hell

A 34-year-old man contacted a rideshare company and requested a ride. A male driver picked him up. During the ride, the 34-year-old passenger asked the driver for a cigarette. The rideshare driver said he didn’t have any cigarettes to give away. The 34-year-old passenger got pissed, pulled out two handguns, and told the driver to keep driving or he would be shot, according to 11Alive News.

The rideshare driver reportedly drove to a Family Dollar store on Joseph Lowery Boulevard — and escaped from his own car, leaving behind the angry and armed 34-year-old passenger. The driver called police and described the passenger.

Atlanta police officers quickly tracked down the 34-year-old passenger, who tried to run when police found him. After a short foot chase, cops quickly arrested him. The 34-year-old’s backpack contained: meth, MDMA, oxycodone, bath salts, cocaine, and cough syrup. One of his guns was found in his backpack; the other gun he’d hidden in the rideshare driver’s car. The 34-year-old went to jail on multiple charges.

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    Illustration By Tray Butler   0,0,2                           THE BLOTTER: The beat goes on "
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  string(9546) "A Cobb County judge is taking aim at that inevitable holiday ritual of parents hoisting up an “Elf on a Shelf” to keep tabs on potentially mischievous children.

The Elves on Shelves allegedly keep track of who has been “naughty or nice.” How? The elves are supposed to move their watchdog positions from room to room every night to keep an eye out and report back to Santa. (a.k.a. the parents do the elf-moving after their kiddos fall asleep.)

Cobb County Superior Court Chief Judge Robert Leonard posted a mock order on Twitter, banning those pesky Elves on Shelves for the entire 2021 holiday season. “Tired of living in Elf on the Shelf tyranny? Not looking forward to the Elf forgetting to move and causing your kids emotional distress? I am a public servant and will take the heat for you. My gift to tired parents.”

What inspired the judge’s faux ban? The judge recalled a “horrific incident” in his own home where the Elf mysteriously didn’t move positions overnight, and his “three children went to school in tears, with one child being labeled an “Elf Murderer” (by a sibling) and being accused of making the Elf “lose his magic.”

Judge Leonard wrote, “The Court has no doubt that day of education was lost to everyone.”

The judge continued, “Elves sometimes move and don’t move overnight. When those Elves do not move, it leaves our children of tender years in states of extreme emotional distress. Given the risks of such emotional damage — and supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic — the Court has no choice but to banish Elf on Shelf from Cobb County.”

The judge did give Cobb parents an out, if they’re determined to unleash Elves in 2021. “If you love your Elf, keep your Elf. No contempts.”

Oddly, the whole Elf on a Shelf concept was invented by a Cobb County mother and her adult twin daughters. Their Elf-based business nets an estimated $10 million a year.

!!Royal pain in the ass
A popular thrift store in Athens, Ga. received a troublesome letter allegedly sent by fans of the Queen of Canada.

The thrift store got a “cease and desist” letter addressed from “followers of a woman claiming to be the sovereign of Canada,” reported the Red and Black newspaper. “The letter stated that all COVID-19 measures are null-and-void and those that enforce them will face the death penalty.”

Apparently, the thrift store manager insisted on filing a police report due to the “harsh wording” of the letter.

We’re guessing the faux Queen of Canada is a pottymouth anti-vaxxer. Just a hunch.

!!You’re a mean one, Mr. GOP Grinch
A con artist posing as Georgia’s GOP Party leader managed to scam a Republican out of thousands of dollars.

A 82-year-old staunch Republican guy from Winterville in Athens-Clarke County said he personally knows state GOP leader David Shafter (who ran for lieutenant governor in 2018, losing narrowly.)

So when the Winterville man got a text that appeared to be from Shafter, he didn’t consider it unusual. The con artist posing as Shafter said he was stuck in a meeting and needed a quick favor from the Winterville man: Go buy $2,500 worth of gift cards and send him photos showing the PIN numbers. Immediately. It was urgent.

You see where this is going, don’t you?

So the Winterville Republican man rushes out, buys $2,500 worth of gift cards, and texts the photos with PIN numbers.

“Later, the victim called Shafter only to learn that Shafter had never sent a text seeking gift cards,” reported the Athens Banner-Herald.

“Apparently, they called a bunch of people. David said he thought they must have downloaded (his) whole (address book) file,” the 82-year-old Winterville man said.

“He did a good job of pretending to be David. If I hadn’t been busy, I probably would have called David,” the victim said.

“A lot of this time I was driving and would stop at stores (for gift cards),” he said. “I feel stupid about it because I don’t usually get caught with anything like this.”

“I do know from David I wasn’t the only one who they went after,” he added.

!!Scary, hairy politician
The oh-so-tiny city of Stonecrest, Georgia, did not even exist five years ago. Stonecrest is a suburban town of roughly 54,000 residents in DeKalb County, near Lithonia.

Now, Stonecrest’s first and only mayor ever is facing federal charges of stealing more than $650,000 in COVID-19-relief funds to pay his own federal and state taxes; to pay off his lakefront home mortgage; and to help cover the college tuition of the city’s female bookkeeper.

Mayor Lary allegedly used his influence over local churches to scam money. “Lary presented a check for $150,000 in relief funds to ‘Church 1,’ on the condition that $50,000 be given to a company called Real Estate Management Consultants, LLC (‘REMC’). Lary allegedly did not tell Church 1 at this time that he actually controlled REMC,” reported Justice.gov. “Lary allegedly falsely stated that the $50,000 would be used to assist with home repairs for people who could not afford them due to COVID-19. In reality, Lary allegedly used the money for his own purposes.”

Also, Lary and his cohorts allegedly demanded “contributions” from businesses that received COVID relief grants/loans under the PPP Small Business Program. “Lary and others allegedly falsely claimed that the money would be each business’s ‘contribution’ to Stonecrest-related marketing and advertising. But Lary and others asked that these “contributions” be given not to Stonecrest, but to entities called Visit Us, Inc., and Battleground Media, LLC. Lary allegedly did not tell the businesses that he controlled these entities.”

Mayor Lary was on shaky ground even before his arrest. This fall, a furious Stonecrest City Council voted to censure him over Lary’s recent comment during a public meeting about his own “hairy behind.” His words, not ours.

!!Bitch of the Month Award
OK, let’s talk about mean bosses. Dr. Carol Terry, who leads the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office, forced some workers to work for free on 72-hour “on call” weekend shifts — and called a Zoom meeting just to force nine colleagues to watch in horror as she ripped into a brand-new employee and fired her on Zoom.

The Fox-5 Investigative Team broke the story — reporting that Dr. Terry spent the entire 30-minute Zoom call spewing insults at Shannon Volkodav, a veteran cop who had just joined the Gwinnett ME’s office one month earlier.

“What I’ve heard … is that you just don’t listen,” Dr. Terry said to Volkodav. And so on and so on — until she fired her.

At the time of the Zoom call, Volkodav was battling COVID-19. She’d been in the emergency room the night before.

Gwinnett is the only Georgia county that uses a private company to serve as the entire public Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office. The Fox-5 investigative team reports: “Dr. Carol Terry’s Forensics Pathology Services has won the contract for the last 15 years. The base amount this year is $1,508,808 and can be automatically renewed for another four years.”

Some ex-employees of Gwinnett County Medical Examiners’ Office filed a federal complaint about Dr. Terry and her labor practices.

!!Slammer jammer
The Pulaski County Sheriff is probably getting some serious ribbing over how easily five inmates escaped from his jail.

“It’s very embarrassing,” Sheriff Danny Brennan told 11 Alive News.

Here’s how it went down:

Sheriff Brennan said there was an hour and a half delay in even reporting that the five inmates had escaped — because the only two people working were locked inside a jail cell by the inmates.

Apparently, a rowdy inmate was giving a female jail employee some serious trouble as he walked back into the cell around 11 p.m. — that’s the exact time when all inmates are supposed to be locked down, lights out.

The female jailer stepped inside the cell to deal with the rowdy inmate — and that’s when he attacked, getting his cellmate to help. They snatched the female jailer’s car keys and threatened her. The only other on-duty jail staffer tried to help the female jailer; but inmates tossed him into the cell as well.

The two inmates quickly freed three of their fellow inmate friends – and took off in the female jailer’s Kia Sedona.

Authorities conducted an all-out manhunt, searching for three days straight and finally captured two inmates. The other three inmates are still on the loose.

Usually, Pulaski County has twice as many jail staffers working every night, but they’re currently “understaffed.”

!!More slammer clamor
Apparently, Pulaski County isn’t the only place hurting for jail workers. Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat is offering a $9,000 signing bonus to fresh hires willing to work at the oh-so-lovely Fulton County Jail. Sheriff Labat says he’s losing people every single week.

Of course, anyone who’s ever spent a fine evening at this decrepit facility (or even just bailed a friend out) knows damn well that s $9,000 signing bonus ain’t enough. By far. To convince any logical person to willingly work at the hellhole known as Fulton County Jail. Period. Try $50,000, boys. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
  ["tracker_field_contentWikiPage_raw"]=>
  string(9602) "A Cobb County judge is taking aim at that inevitable holiday ritual of parents hoisting up an “Elf on a Shelf” to keep tabs on potentially mischievous children.

The Elves on Shelves allegedly keep track of who has been “naughty or nice.” How? The elves are supposed to move their watchdog positions from room to room every night to keep an eye out and report back to Santa. (a.k.a. the parents do the elf-moving after their kiddos fall asleep.)

Cobb County Superior Court Chief Judge Robert Leonard posted a mock order on Twitter, banning those pesky Elves on Shelves for the entire 2021 holiday season. “Tired of living in Elf on the Shelf tyranny? Not looking forward to the Elf forgetting to move and causing your kids emotional distress? I am a public servant and will take the heat for you. My gift to tired parents.”

What inspired the judge’s faux ban? The judge recalled a “horrific incident” in his own home where the Elf mysteriously didn’t move positions overnight, and his “three children went to school in tears, with one child being labeled an “Elf Murderer” (by a sibling) and being accused of making the Elf “lose his magic.”

Judge Leonard wrote, “The Court has no doubt that day of education was lost to everyone.”

The judge continued, “Elves sometimes move and don’t move overnight. When those Elves do not move, it leaves our children of tender years in states of extreme emotional distress. Given the risks of such emotional damage — and supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic — the Court has no choice but to banish Elf on Shelf from Cobb County.”

The judge did give Cobb parents an out, if they’re determined to unleash Elves in 2021. “If you love your Elf, keep your Elf. No contempts.”

Oddly, the whole Elf on a Shelf concept was invented by a Cobb County mother and her adult twin daughters. Their Elf-based business nets an estimated $10 million a year.

!!__Royal pain in the ass__
A popular thrift store in Athens, Ga. received a troublesome letter allegedly sent by fans of the Queen of Canada.

The thrift store got a “cease and desist” letter addressed from “followers of a woman claiming to be the sovereign of Canada,” reported the ''Red and Black'' newspaper. “The letter stated that all COVID-19 measures are null-and-void and those that enforce them will face the death penalty.”

Apparently, the thrift store manager insisted on filing a police report due to the “harsh wording” of the letter.

We’re guessing the faux Queen of Canada is a pottymouth anti-vaxxer. Just a hunch.

!!__You’re a mean one, Mr. GOP Grinch__
A con artist posing as Georgia’s GOP Party leader managed to scam a Republican out of thousands of dollars.

A 82-year-old staunch Republican guy from Winterville in Athens-Clarke County said he personally knows state GOP leader David Shafter (who ran for lieutenant governor in 2018, losing narrowly.)

So when the Winterville man got a text that appeared to be from Shafter, he didn’t consider it unusual. The con artist posing as Shafter said he was stuck in a meeting and needed a quick favor from the Winterville man: Go buy $2,500 worth of gift cards and send him photos showing the PIN numbers. Immediately. It was urgent.

You see where this is going, don’t you?

So the Winterville Republican man rushes out, buys $2,500 worth of gift cards, and texts the photos with PIN numbers.

“Later, the victim called Shafter only to learn that Shafter had never sent a text seeking gift cards,” reported the ''Athens Banner-Herald''.

“Apparently, they called a bunch of people. David said he thought they must have downloaded (his) whole (address book) file,” the 82-year-old Winterville man said.

“He did a good job of pretending to be David. If I hadn’t been busy, I probably would have called David,” the victim said.

“A lot of this time I was driving and would stop at stores (for gift cards),” he said. “I feel stupid about it because I don’t usually get caught with anything like this.”

“I do know from David I wasn’t the only one who they went after,” he added.

!!__Scary, hairy politician__
The oh-so-tiny city of Stonecrest, Georgia, did not even exist five years ago. Stonecrest is a suburban town of roughly 54,000 residents in DeKalb County, near Lithonia.

Now, Stonecrest’s ''first and only mayor ever'' is facing federal charges of stealing more than $650,000 in COVID-19-relief funds to pay his own federal and state taxes; to pay off his lakefront home mortgage; and to help cover the college tuition of the city’s female bookkeeper.

Mayor Lary allegedly used his influence over local churches to scam money. “Lary presented a check for $150,000 in relief funds to ‘Church 1,’ on the condition that $50,000 be given to a company called Real Estate Management Consultants, LLC (‘REMC’). Lary allegedly did not tell Church 1 at this time that he actually controlled REMC,” reported Justice.gov. “Lary allegedly falsely stated that the $50,000 would be used to assist with home repairs for people who could not afford them due to COVID-19. In reality, Lary allegedly used the money for his own purposes.”

Also, Lary and his cohorts allegedly demanded “contributions” from businesses that received COVID relief grants/loans under the PPP Small Business Program. “Lary and others allegedly falsely claimed that the money would be each business’s ‘contribution’ to Stonecrest-related marketing and advertising. But Lary and others asked that these “contributions” be given not to Stonecrest, but to entities called Visit Us, Inc., and Battleground Media, LLC. Lary allegedly did not tell the businesses that he controlled these entities.”

Mayor Lary was on shaky ground ''even before'' his arrest. This fall, a furious Stonecrest City Council voted to censure him over Lary’s recent comment during a public meeting about his own “hairy behind.” His words, not ours.

!!__Bitch of the Month Award__
OK, let’s talk about ''mean bosses''. Dr. Carol Terry, who leads the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office, forced some workers to work for free on 72-hour “on call” weekend shifts — and called a Zoom meeting just to force nine colleagues to watch in horror as she ripped into a brand-new employee and fired her on Zoom.

The Fox-5 Investigative Team broke the story — reporting that Dr. Terry spent the entire 30-minute Zoom call spewing insults at Shannon Volkodav, a veteran cop who had just joined the Gwinnett ME’s office one month earlier.

“What I’ve heard … is that you just don’t listen,” Dr. Terry said to Volkodav. And so on and so on — until she fired her.

At the time of the Zoom call, Volkodav was battling COVID-19. She’d been in the emergency room the night before.

Gwinnett is the only Georgia county that uses a ''private'' company to serve as the entire public Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office. The Fox-5 investigative team reports: “Dr. Carol Terry’s Forensics Pathology Services has won the contract for the last 15 years. The base amount this year is $1,508,808 and can be automatically renewed for another four years.”

Some ex-employees of Gwinnett County Medical Examiners’ Office filed a federal complaint about Dr. Terry and her labor practices.

!!__Slammer jammer__
The Pulaski County Sheriff is probably getting some serious ribbing over how easily five inmates escaped from his jail.

“It’s very embarrassing,” Sheriff Danny Brennan told 11 Alive News.

Here’s how it went down:

Sheriff Brennan said there was an hour and a half delay in even reporting that the five inmates had escaped — because the only two people working were locked inside a jail cell by the inmates.

Apparently, a rowdy inmate was giving a female jail employee some serious trouble as he walked back into the cell around 11 p.m. — that’s the exact time when all inmates are supposed to be locked down, lights out.

The female jailer stepped inside the cell to deal with the rowdy inmate — and that’s when he attacked, getting his cellmate to help. They snatched the female jailer’s car keys and threatened her. The only other on-duty jail staffer tried to help the female jailer; but inmates tossed him into the cell as well.

The two inmates quickly freed three of their fellow inmate friends – and took off in the female jailer’s Kia Sedona.

Authorities conducted an all-out manhunt, searching for three days straight and finally captured two inmates. The other three inmates are still on the loose.

Usually, Pulaski County has twice as many jail staffers working every night, but they’re currently “understaffed.”

!!__More slammer clamor__
Apparently, Pulaski County isn’t the only place hurting for jail workers. Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat is offering a $9,000 signing bonus to fresh hires willing to work at the oh-so-lovely Fulton County Jail. Sheriff Labat says he’s losing people every single week.

Of course, anyone who’s ever spent a fine evening at this decrepit facility (or even just bailed a friend out) knows damn well that s $9,000 signing bonus ain’t enough. By far. To convince any logical person to willingly work at the hellhole known as Fulton County Jail. Period. Try $50,000, boys. __—CL—__

''The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.''"
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  string(9949) " DEC Blot Elf Final Reduced  2021-12-07T13:59:59+00:00 DEC_blot_elf_final-reduced.jpg      And other tales of life in the ATL DEC Blot Elf Final Reduced   2021-12-01T05:53:00+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Backlash to Elf Power jim.harris Jim Harris Lauren Keating lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2021-12-01T05:53:00+00:00 A Cobb County judge is taking aim at that inevitable holiday ritual of parents hoisting up an “Elf on a Shelf” to keep tabs on potentially mischievous children.

The Elves on Shelves allegedly keep track of who has been “naughty or nice.” How? The elves are supposed to move their watchdog positions from room to room every night to keep an eye out and report back to Santa. (a.k.a. the parents do the elf-moving after their kiddos fall asleep.)

Cobb County Superior Court Chief Judge Robert Leonard posted a mock order on Twitter, banning those pesky Elves on Shelves for the entire 2021 holiday season. “Tired of living in Elf on the Shelf tyranny? Not looking forward to the Elf forgetting to move and causing your kids emotional distress? I am a public servant and will take the heat for you. My gift to tired parents.”

What inspired the judge’s faux ban? The judge recalled a “horrific incident” in his own home where the Elf mysteriously didn’t move positions overnight, and his “three children went to school in tears, with one child being labeled an “Elf Murderer” (by a sibling) and being accused of making the Elf “lose his magic.”

Judge Leonard wrote, “The Court has no doubt that day of education was lost to everyone.”

The judge continued, “Elves sometimes move and don’t move overnight. When those Elves do not move, it leaves our children of tender years in states of extreme emotional distress. Given the risks of such emotional damage — and supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic — the Court has no choice but to banish Elf on Shelf from Cobb County.”

The judge did give Cobb parents an out, if they’re determined to unleash Elves in 2021. “If you love your Elf, keep your Elf. No contempts.”

Oddly, the whole Elf on a Shelf concept was invented by a Cobb County mother and her adult twin daughters. Their Elf-based business nets an estimated $10 million a year.

!!Royal pain in the ass
A popular thrift store in Athens, Ga. received a troublesome letter allegedly sent by fans of the Queen of Canada.

The thrift store got a “cease and desist” letter addressed from “followers of a woman claiming to be the sovereign of Canada,” reported the Red and Black newspaper. “The letter stated that all COVID-19 measures are null-and-void and those that enforce them will face the death penalty.”

Apparently, the thrift store manager insisted on filing a police report due to the “harsh wording” of the letter.

We’re guessing the faux Queen of Canada is a pottymouth anti-vaxxer. Just a hunch.

!!You’re a mean one, Mr. GOP Grinch
A con artist posing as Georgia’s GOP Party leader managed to scam a Republican out of thousands of dollars.

A 82-year-old staunch Republican guy from Winterville in Athens-Clarke County said he personally knows state GOP leader David Shafter (who ran for lieutenant governor in 2018, losing narrowly.)

So when the Winterville man got a text that appeared to be from Shafter, he didn’t consider it unusual. The con artist posing as Shafter said he was stuck in a meeting and needed a quick favor from the Winterville man: Go buy $2,500 worth of gift cards and send him photos showing the PIN numbers. Immediately. It was urgent.

You see where this is going, don’t you?

So the Winterville Republican man rushes out, buys $2,500 worth of gift cards, and texts the photos with PIN numbers.

“Later, the victim called Shafter only to learn that Shafter had never sent a text seeking gift cards,” reported the Athens Banner-Herald.

“Apparently, they called a bunch of people. David said he thought they must have downloaded (his) whole (address book) file,” the 82-year-old Winterville man said.

“He did a good job of pretending to be David. If I hadn’t been busy, I probably would have called David,” the victim said.

“A lot of this time I was driving and would stop at stores (for gift cards),” he said. “I feel stupid about it because I don’t usually get caught with anything like this.”

“I do know from David I wasn’t the only one who they went after,” he added.

!!Scary, hairy politician
The oh-so-tiny city of Stonecrest, Georgia, did not even exist five years ago. Stonecrest is a suburban town of roughly 54,000 residents in DeKalb County, near Lithonia.

Now, Stonecrest’s first and only mayor ever is facing federal charges of stealing more than $650,000 in COVID-19-relief funds to pay his own federal and state taxes; to pay off his lakefront home mortgage; and to help cover the college tuition of the city’s female bookkeeper.

Mayor Lary allegedly used his influence over local churches to scam money. “Lary presented a check for $150,000 in relief funds to ‘Church 1,’ on the condition that $50,000 be given to a company called Real Estate Management Consultants, LLC (‘REMC’). Lary allegedly did not tell Church 1 at this time that he actually controlled REMC,” reported Justice.gov. “Lary allegedly falsely stated that the $50,000 would be used to assist with home repairs for people who could not afford them due to COVID-19. In reality, Lary allegedly used the money for his own purposes.”

Also, Lary and his cohorts allegedly demanded “contributions” from businesses that received COVID relief grants/loans under the PPP Small Business Program. “Lary and others allegedly falsely claimed that the money would be each business’s ‘contribution’ to Stonecrest-related marketing and advertising. But Lary and others asked that these “contributions” be given not to Stonecrest, but to entities called Visit Us, Inc., and Battleground Media, LLC. Lary allegedly did not tell the businesses that he controlled these entities.”

Mayor Lary was on shaky ground even before his arrest. This fall, a furious Stonecrest City Council voted to censure him over Lary’s recent comment during a public meeting about his own “hairy behind.” His words, not ours.

!!Bitch of the Month Award
OK, let’s talk about mean bosses. Dr. Carol Terry, who leads the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office, forced some workers to work for free on 72-hour “on call” weekend shifts — and called a Zoom meeting just to force nine colleagues to watch in horror as she ripped into a brand-new employee and fired her on Zoom.

The Fox-5 Investigative Team broke the story — reporting that Dr. Terry spent the entire 30-minute Zoom call spewing insults at Shannon Volkodav, a veteran cop who had just joined the Gwinnett ME’s office one month earlier.

“What I’ve heard … is that you just don’t listen,” Dr. Terry said to Volkodav. And so on and so on — until she fired her.

At the time of the Zoom call, Volkodav was battling COVID-19. She’d been in the emergency room the night before.

Gwinnett is the only Georgia county that uses a private company to serve as the entire public Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office. The Fox-5 investigative team reports: “Dr. Carol Terry’s Forensics Pathology Services has won the contract for the last 15 years. The base amount this year is $1,508,808 and can be automatically renewed for another four years.”

Some ex-employees of Gwinnett County Medical Examiners’ Office filed a federal complaint about Dr. Terry and her labor practices.

!!Slammer jammer
The Pulaski County Sheriff is probably getting some serious ribbing over how easily five inmates escaped from his jail.

“It’s very embarrassing,” Sheriff Danny Brennan told 11 Alive News.

Here’s how it went down:

Sheriff Brennan said there was an hour and a half delay in even reporting that the five inmates had escaped — because the only two people working were locked inside a jail cell by the inmates.

Apparently, a rowdy inmate was giving a female jail employee some serious trouble as he walked back into the cell around 11 p.m. — that’s the exact time when all inmates are supposed to be locked down, lights out.

The female jailer stepped inside the cell to deal with the rowdy inmate — and that’s when he attacked, getting his cellmate to help. They snatched the female jailer’s car keys and threatened her. The only other on-duty jail staffer tried to help the female jailer; but inmates tossed him into the cell as well.

The two inmates quickly freed three of their fellow inmate friends – and took off in the female jailer’s Kia Sedona.

Authorities conducted an all-out manhunt, searching for three days straight and finally captured two inmates. The other three inmates are still on the loose.

Usually, Pulaski County has twice as many jail staffers working every night, but they’re currently “understaffed.”

!!More slammer clamor
Apparently, Pulaski County isn’t the only place hurting for jail workers. Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat is offering a $9,000 signing bonus to fresh hires willing to work at the oh-so-lovely Fulton County Jail. Sheriff Labat says he’s losing people every single week.

Of course, anyone who’s ever spent a fine evening at this decrepit facility (or even just bailed a friend out) knows damn well that s $9,000 signing bonus ain’t enough. By far. To convince any logical person to willingly work at the hellhole known as Fulton County Jail. Period. Try $50,000, boys. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    Tray Butler   0,0,10                           THE BLOTTER: Backlash to Elf Power "
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  string(7225) "Atlanta police need to get off their butts and do something about a notorious Peeping Tom striking again and again in Midtown Atlanta.

Yes, it sounds like the same dude over and over. No, he hasn’t been caught. Yes, people in Midtown are understandably upset — and frustrated as hell. Yes, they’ve filed police reports. Yes, they’ve turned in surveillance video of the Peeping Tom from their Ring cameras. So what’s the holdup, APD?

The Midtown Peeping Tom struck several times on Myrtle Street this fall.

“He has done this before on this street and its terrifying,” Midtown resident Sarah Buchanan told CBS46.com. Buchanan moved to an apartment complex on Myrtle Street just four months ago, and she’s already been a victim of the Peeping Tom on two separate occasions. “He comes over this way, and right when he gets to the window, he ducks,” Buchanan said. “You can kind of see where he comes to this corner. And he watches me from the corner.”

Also, Buchanan alerted her neighbors on social media. “You post one thing and there are 10 people or so who have had it happen to them.”

One Midtown neighbor told CBS46 that this Peeping Tom has been peering into Midtown homes for about four years. And neighbors say, to their knowledge, the man has never faced repercussions.

Buchanan said the Peeping Tom makes her feel unsafe. “Do you get a weapon? Stay inside? I think that’s the worst part — feeling like I’m trapped in my own house at this point.”

!!Scattered, covered, and smothered
A Waffle House waitress pulled a gun on a customer during a dispute over a food order. The shenanigan went down around 1 a.m. at the Waffle House on Marietta Street near Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. No one was hurt in the scuffle.

The Waffle House waitress “said she felt like she was being smothered by a customer and that pulling out a gun was a way to quiet him down,” reported WSB-TV.

Yup, the waitress felt smothered. How Waffle House-esque!

Except there’s no sign that the customer actually touched the waitress at all. In fact, the male customer left the Waffle House and reported the standoff to the police himself. He told investigators that he and the Waffle House waitress were arguing over his food order — and when the waitress got mad, she pulled out a handgun and pointed it at him.

The irate waitress later agreed with the customer that the argument had been about his food and began “the minute he made his order,” even though, she claims, his food was being made correctly. The customer’s complaints went on for several minutes, according to the waitress, and eventually she had to change his order several times because he was unhappy about it.

The officer said he was met by the victim, Candy Franklin, who said that the Waffle House employee, Angelic Patterson, pointed a gun at him.

The Waffle House waitress is charged with aggravated assault.

!!Riot fest
Rapper Boosie Badazz is facing charges after an epic brawl broke out at his recent concert, Legendz of the Streetz, at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta. The concert also featured Gucci Mane, Lil’ Kim and Jeezy.

According to TMZ, Boosie performed for all of two minutes when a massive fight erupted on stage, beginning when a man descended from the DJ booth and started punching another guy.

Atlanta police responded around 12:41 a.m.

Initially, Boosie and members of his entourage allegedly destroyed his own stuff — i.e. property belonging to Boosie’s own production company!  Then, Boosie and his pals allegedly destroyed stuff belonging to State Farm Arena.

No one was injured in the brawl, and Atlanta Police investigators are working to determine what led up to the clash. Boosie was released from Fulton County Jail on bond. He’s facing four charges: one, felony criminal damage to property; two, disorderly conduct; three, trespassing; and four, inciting a riot.

Boosie Badazz’s real name is Torrence Hatch Jr. He hails from Louisiana.

!!Points for creativity
A French man is singing a different tune after getting busted at Atlanta’s airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle 11 guns inside karaoke machines.

Police say the man had a Delta airplane ticket to fly to Sint Maarten. The man went into the international terminal at Hartsfield Jackson and checked two pieces of luggage. “As the bags passed through the X-ray machine, the operator noticed what appeared to be several firearms inside,” reported CBS46.com.

TSA security workers opened the man’s luggage , looked inside and found two karaoke machines. When they opened the karaoke machines, they found nine handguns, and two automatic rifles. All of the weapons were individually wrapped in aluminum foil.

The man told authorities that he bought the guns from a Jamaican guy selling weapons out of the trunk of a car in Newnan, Georgia. The man said he paid $2,500 for the entire stash and was hoping to take the guns to Sint Maarten to sell for a profit.

The man’s scheme isn’t as weird as it sounds. “The way that guns are usually trafficked to Caribbean countries is through these compartments — you know — in laundry machines, even in vehicle parts,” Eugenio Weigend Vargas, director of Gun Violence Prevention at American Progress, told CBS46.com.

In January 2021, the TSA said Atlanta topped the nation for the most firearms found at US airport security checkpoints during the previous year.

!!Grave situation
Unmarked graves were found near a Walmart parking lot in Decatur.

Some residents have long suspected that the remains of former slaves might be buried just outside the Crowley Mausoleum located near the big box store. Turns out, they might be onto something.

11 Alive News reported, “The mausoleum, a Civil War-era burial site, is enclosed by 15-feet-tall granite walls. It’s seen better days. Graffiti stains the outside of the shrine while inside, overgrown trees and grass cover the tombs.” This mausoleum sits about 300 feet from Memorial Drive.

Decatur resident Jessica Derise recalled to 11Alive, “I remembered in the back of my head, I had a Crowley far, far back in my line. Seven, eight generations back. And I realized, ‘Oh my gosh, my ancestors are buried there.”

That’s not all, though. Derise hit the internet. “I was told again and again online that there are 40 to 50 slaves buried underneath here.”

Derise reached out to 11Alive News investigators to find out for sure.

11Alive brought in an expert, Len Strozier, who’s been mapping cemeteries for 14 years with ground-penetrating radar. He found several stunning air pockets, including one that “looks like a wooden casket, and it looks like the wooden casket is intact.”

The owners of Crowley Mausoleum released a statement: “We are sympathetic to this issue and will look and see what can be done so this area is treated with respect. We are trying to figure out exactly what’s there and what our options are moving forward.” —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
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  string(7253) "Atlanta police need to get off their butts and do something about a notorious Peeping Tom striking again and again in Midtown Atlanta.

Yes, it sounds like the same dude over and over. No, he hasn’t been caught. Yes, people in Midtown are understandably upset — and frustrated as hell. Yes, they’ve filed police reports. Yes, they’ve turned in surveillance video of the Peeping Tom from their Ring cameras. So what’s the holdup, APD?

The Midtown Peeping Tom struck several times on Myrtle Street this fall.

“He has done this before on this street and its terrifying,” Midtown resident Sarah Buchanan told CBS46.com. Buchanan moved to an apartment complex on Myrtle Street just four months ago, and she’s already been a victim of the Peeping Tom on two separate occasions. “He comes over this way, and right when he gets to the window, he ducks,” Buchanan said. “You can kind of see where he comes to this corner. And he watches me from the corner.”

Also, Buchanan alerted her neighbors on social media. “You post one thing and there are 10 people or so who have had it happen to them.”

One Midtown neighbor told CBS46 that this Peeping Tom has been peering into Midtown homes for about four years. And neighbors say, to their knowledge, the man has never faced repercussions.

Buchanan said the Peeping Tom makes her feel unsafe. “Do you get a weapon? Stay inside? I think that’s the worst part — feeling like I’m trapped in my own house at this point.”

!!__Scattered, covered, and smothered__
A Waffle House waitress pulled a gun on a customer during a dispute over a food order. The shenanigan went down around 1 a.m. at the Waffle House on Marietta Street near Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. No one was hurt in the scuffle.

The Waffle House waitress “said she felt like she was being smothered by a customer and that pulling out a gun was a way to quiet him down,” reported WSB-TV.

Yup, the waitress felt ''smothered''. How Waffle House-esque!

Except there’s no sign that the customer actually touched the waitress at all. In fact, the male customer left the Waffle House and reported the standoff to the police himself. He told investigators that he and the Waffle House waitress were arguing over his food order — and when the waitress got mad, she pulled out a handgun and pointed it at him.

The irate waitress later agreed with the customer that the argument had been about his food and began “the minute he made his order,” even though, she claims, his food was being made correctly. The customer’s complaints went on for several minutes, according to the waitress, and eventually she had to change his order several times because he was unhappy about it.

The officer said he was met by the victim, Candy Franklin, who said that the Waffle House employee, Angelic Patterson, pointed a gun at him.

The Waffle House waitress is charged with aggravated assault.

!!__Riot fest__
Rapper Boosie Badazz is facing charges after an epic brawl broke out at his recent concert, Legendz of the Streetz, at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta. The concert also featured Gucci Mane, Lil’ Kim and Jeezy.

According to TMZ, Boosie performed for all of two minutes when a massive fight erupted on stage, beginning when a man descended from the DJ booth and started punching another guy.

Atlanta police responded around 12:41 a.m.

Initially, Boosie and members of his entourage allegedly destroyed his own stuff — i.e. property belonging to Boosie’s own production company!  Then, Boosie and his pals allegedly destroyed stuff belonging to State Farm Arena.

No one was injured in the brawl, and Atlanta Police investigators are working to determine what led up to the clash. Boosie was released from Fulton County Jail on bond. He’s facing four charges: one, felony criminal damage to property; two, disorderly conduct; three, trespassing; and four, inciting a riot.

Boosie Badazz’s real name is Torrence Hatch Jr. He hails from Louisiana.

!!__Points for creativity__
A French man is singing a different tune after getting busted at Atlanta’s airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle 11 guns inside karaoke machines.

Police say the man had a Delta airplane ticket to fly to Sint Maarten. The man went into the international terminal at Hartsfield Jackson and checked two pieces of luggage. “As the bags passed through the X-ray machine, the operator noticed what appeared to be several firearms inside,” reported CBS46.com.

TSA security workers opened the man’s luggage , looked inside and found two karaoke machines. When they opened the karaoke machines, they found nine handguns, and two automatic rifles. All of the weapons were individually wrapped in aluminum foil.

The man told authorities that he bought the guns from a Jamaican guy selling weapons out of the trunk of a car in Newnan, Georgia. The man said he paid $2,500 for the entire stash and was hoping to take the guns to Sint Maarten to sell for a profit.

The man’s scheme isn’t as weird as it sounds. “The way that guns are usually trafficked to Caribbean countries is through these compartments — you know — in laundry machines, even in vehicle parts,” Eugenio Weigend Vargas, director of Gun Violence Prevention at American Progress, told CBS46.com.

In January 2021, the TSA said Atlanta topped the nation for the most firearms found at US airport security checkpoints during the previous year.

!!__Grave situation__
Unmarked graves were found near a Walmart parking lot in Decatur.

Some residents have long suspected that the remains of former slaves might be buried just outside the Crowley Mausoleum located near the big box store. Turns out, they might be onto something.

11 Alive News reported, “The mausoleum, a Civil War-era burial site, is enclosed by 15-feet-tall granite walls. It’s seen better days. Graffiti stains the outside of the shrine while inside, overgrown trees and grass cover the tombs.” This mausoleum sits about 300 feet from Memorial Drive.

Decatur resident Jessica Derise recalled to 11Alive, “I remembered in the back of my head, I had a Crowley far, far back in my line. Seven, eight generations back. And I realized, ‘Oh my gosh, my ancestors are buried there.”

That’s not all, though. Derise hit the internet. “I was told again and again online that there are 40 to 50 slaves buried underneath here.”

Derise reached out to 11Alive News investigators to find out for sure.

11Alive brought in an expert, Len Strozier, who’s been mapping cemeteries for 14 years with ground-penetrating radar. He found several stunning air pockets, including one that “looks like a wooden casket, and it looks like the wooden casket is intact.”

The owners of Crowley Mausoleum released a statement: “We are sympathetic to this issue and will look and see what can be done so this area is treated with respect. We are trying to figure out exactly what’s there and what our options are moving forward.” __—CL—__

''The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.''"
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  string(7636) " 1121 Blot Peeping Tom Final 01  2021-11-03T20:31:32+00:00 1121_blot_peeping_tom-final-01.jpg      And other tales of life in the ATL 1121 Blot Peeping Tom Final 01   2021-11-01T04:20:00+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Creepy eyes jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2021-11-01T04:20:00+00:00 Atlanta police need to get off their butts and do something about a notorious Peeping Tom striking again and again in Midtown Atlanta.

Yes, it sounds like the same dude over and over. No, he hasn’t been caught. Yes, people in Midtown are understandably upset — and frustrated as hell. Yes, they’ve filed police reports. Yes, they’ve turned in surveillance video of the Peeping Tom from their Ring cameras. So what’s the holdup, APD?

The Midtown Peeping Tom struck several times on Myrtle Street this fall.

“He has done this before on this street and its terrifying,” Midtown resident Sarah Buchanan told CBS46.com. Buchanan moved to an apartment complex on Myrtle Street just four months ago, and she’s already been a victim of the Peeping Tom on two separate occasions. “He comes over this way, and right when he gets to the window, he ducks,” Buchanan said. “You can kind of see where he comes to this corner. And he watches me from the corner.”

Also, Buchanan alerted her neighbors on social media. “You post one thing and there are 10 people or so who have had it happen to them.”

One Midtown neighbor told CBS46 that this Peeping Tom has been peering into Midtown homes for about four years. And neighbors say, to their knowledge, the man has never faced repercussions.

Buchanan said the Peeping Tom makes her feel unsafe. “Do you get a weapon? Stay inside? I think that’s the worst part — feeling like I’m trapped in my own house at this point.”

!!Scattered, covered, and smothered
A Waffle House waitress pulled a gun on a customer during a dispute over a food order. The shenanigan went down around 1 a.m. at the Waffle House on Marietta Street near Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. No one was hurt in the scuffle.

The Waffle House waitress “said she felt like she was being smothered by a customer and that pulling out a gun was a way to quiet him down,” reported WSB-TV.

Yup, the waitress felt smothered. How Waffle House-esque!

Except there’s no sign that the customer actually touched the waitress at all. In fact, the male customer left the Waffle House and reported the standoff to the police himself. He told investigators that he and the Waffle House waitress were arguing over his food order — and when the waitress got mad, she pulled out a handgun and pointed it at him.

The irate waitress later agreed with the customer that the argument had been about his food and began “the minute he made his order,” even though, she claims, his food was being made correctly. The customer’s complaints went on for several minutes, according to the waitress, and eventually she had to change his order several times because he was unhappy about it.

The officer said he was met by the victim, Candy Franklin, who said that the Waffle House employee, Angelic Patterson, pointed a gun at him.

The Waffle House waitress is charged with aggravated assault.

!!Riot fest
Rapper Boosie Badazz is facing charges after an epic brawl broke out at his recent concert, Legendz of the Streetz, at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta. The concert also featured Gucci Mane, Lil’ Kim and Jeezy.

According to TMZ, Boosie performed for all of two minutes when a massive fight erupted on stage, beginning when a man descended from the DJ booth and started punching another guy.

Atlanta police responded around 12:41 a.m.

Initially, Boosie and members of his entourage allegedly destroyed his own stuff — i.e. property belonging to Boosie’s own production company!  Then, Boosie and his pals allegedly destroyed stuff belonging to State Farm Arena.

No one was injured in the brawl, and Atlanta Police investigators are working to determine what led up to the clash. Boosie was released from Fulton County Jail on bond. He’s facing four charges: one, felony criminal damage to property; two, disorderly conduct; three, trespassing; and four, inciting a riot.

Boosie Badazz’s real name is Torrence Hatch Jr. He hails from Louisiana.

!!Points for creativity
A French man is singing a different tune after getting busted at Atlanta’s airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle 11 guns inside karaoke machines.

Police say the man had a Delta airplane ticket to fly to Sint Maarten. The man went into the international terminal at Hartsfield Jackson and checked two pieces of luggage. “As the bags passed through the X-ray machine, the operator noticed what appeared to be several firearms inside,” reported CBS46.com.

TSA security workers opened the man’s luggage , looked inside and found two karaoke machines. When they opened the karaoke machines, they found nine handguns, and two automatic rifles. All of the weapons were individually wrapped in aluminum foil.

The man told authorities that he bought the guns from a Jamaican guy selling weapons out of the trunk of a car in Newnan, Georgia. The man said he paid $2,500 for the entire stash and was hoping to take the guns to Sint Maarten to sell for a profit.

The man’s scheme isn’t as weird as it sounds. “The way that guns are usually trafficked to Caribbean countries is through these compartments — you know — in laundry machines, even in vehicle parts,” Eugenio Weigend Vargas, director of Gun Violence Prevention at American Progress, told CBS46.com.

In January 2021, the TSA said Atlanta topped the nation for the most firearms found at US airport security checkpoints during the previous year.

!!Grave situation
Unmarked graves were found near a Walmart parking lot in Decatur.

Some residents have long suspected that the remains of former slaves might be buried just outside the Crowley Mausoleum located near the big box store. Turns out, they might be onto something.

11 Alive News reported, “The mausoleum, a Civil War-era burial site, is enclosed by 15-feet-tall granite walls. It’s seen better days. Graffiti stains the outside of the shrine while inside, overgrown trees and grass cover the tombs.” This mausoleum sits about 300 feet from Memorial Drive.

Decatur resident Jessica Derise recalled to 11Alive, “I remembered in the back of my head, I had a Crowley far, far back in my line. Seven, eight generations back. And I realized, ‘Oh my gosh, my ancestors are buried there.”

That’s not all, though. Derise hit the internet. “I was told again and again online that there are 40 to 50 slaves buried underneath here.”

Derise reached out to 11Alive News investigators to find out for sure.

11Alive brought in an expert, Len Strozier, who’s been mapping cemeteries for 14 years with ground-penetrating radar. He found several stunning air pockets, including one that “looks like a wooden casket, and it looks like the wooden casket is intact.”

The owners of Crowley Mausoleum released a statement: “We are sympathetic to this issue and will look and see what can be done so this area is treated with respect. We are trying to figure out exactly what’s there and what our options are moving forward.” —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    ILLUSTRATION BY TRAY BUTLER   0,0,10                           THE BLOTTER: Creepy eyes "
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  string(7071) "A super-smart dog found a 44-year-old man’s bag of methamphetamines and lottery tickets in Thomas County, Georgia, and now that man is going to prison. No, it’s not a cop dog … rather a smart-as-hell canine.

How it went down? The dog returned home to its owner with a “suspicious, brown satchel,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Georgia. The dog’s owner opened the satchel, finding 154.78 grams of meth — worth thousands of dollars, according to 11Alive. The satchel also contained some lottery tickets.

Cops traced the lottery tickets to pinpoint the exact store where they’d been purchased. Cops then pulled the store’s surveillance video, leading them to the 44-year-old suspect, who later admitted he’d planned to distribute the meth in his satchel.

Additionally, a woman said the 44-year-old allegedly visited her hotel, punched her in the face, and demanded to know where his special meth satchel was located. It won’t be the 44-year-old’s first time in prison — He’s a frequent flier there, according to authorities. 

!!!The great rock ’n’ roll ripoff 
In downtown Atlanta, outraged music fans chanted the word “REFUND” at the Saturday Nite Old School Fest — the debut concert at The Home Depot Backyard near Mercedes-Benz stadium.

Vendors ran out of food and drinks. Some musical acts scheduled to perform — just didn’t.

“Many in the crowd started booing when Johnny Gill, who was part of New Edition, came onstage and said he would not be performing,” reported WSB-TV.

Concert-goer Cheryl Silver responded, “They must have said Johnny, we don’t have all your money, but we will give you something if you go out and say hi to the crowd.”

Other fans say musical performances at the festival began two hours late — and bottom-tier acts took up wayyyy too much stage time.

Reggie Nelson told WSB-TV, “This was one of the biggest rip-offs I’ve ever seen … My girlfriend came back from getting her drink — She was like, “Who are all these random acts we’re listening to?”

Concert promoter S.E.M.G. was apologetic on Facebook, stating in part, “For those that left early and expressed understandable frustration, we sincerely apologize that we missed the mark.”

!!!Kick in the pants
A bold Georgia teen is challenging what she calls the “sexist,” “racist,” and “classist” dress code at Cobb County School District.

On the first day of school, 13-year-old Sophia Trevino wore a white graphic T-shirt, ripped denim jeans, and Air Force 1 sneakers. Her parents gave the thumbs-up, approving her outfit.

Within minutes of her first day of eighth grade, Sophia was sent to the principal’s office for violating the dress code, along with 15 other girls. Sophia’s violation? “The rip in her jeans was higher than the tip of her finger when placed next to her thighs,” reports WSB-TV.

Sophia is angry, saying only females were in the principal’s office for dress code violations — thus, sexist.

Sophia says the jeans she was wearing are one of the few pairs that work with her body shape. “It’s very hard for me to find jeans that fit,” she told WSB-TV, noting she has bigger thighs and calves from playing soccer. “I’m not insecure about my body, but someone who wouldn’t be as confident would get really hurt by that mentally.”

Sophia’s petition garnered more than 3,000 signatures — and netted her an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America.

Her dad, Joe Trevino, firmly supports his daughter’s activism. Also, her father points out the irony in Cobb County School District’s strict dress code compared to its optional mask policy for students during a raging pandemic. “We are asking the district, ‘What is the difference between parents making a choice on masks and also parents having a say on what is appropriate for what kids can wear to school?”

We say, Bravo, Sophia!

!!!Bad fortune
Intown Atlanta neighbors were buzzing on Nextdoor about an alleged police raid on a female psychic’s store on Moreland Avenue. Atlanta police reportedly shut down part of Moreland and Hosea Williams Drive to raid the psychic on the corner.

Apparently, the psychic didn’t see the it coming. 

!!!Lunatic love plan
A 36-year-old, Cherokee County man kidnapped his ex-wife while in disguise, leaving her bound with zip ties and a pillowcase over her head on her porch — then pretending to rescue her in a twisted plot to win back her heart.

Officials call the man a “master manipulator.”

The 36-year-old man called 911 around 2 a.m. “When deputies arrived, they met him on the front porch of his ex-wife’s home. (The 36-year-old man) told officers that he had just arrived and found his ex-wife tied up on the back deck,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Not quite, nutball.

What really happened? The 36-year-old man tried to reconcile with his ex-wife the day before and even faked a cancer diagnosis to try to win her sympathy.

“When that didn’t work, he created a convoluted plan that the investigators in this case and our office truly believe involved a plot to kill her and then himself,” the Cherokee County assistant DA told the AJC. “When he couldn’t go through with that plan, he instead devised a new plan to rescue her.”

The key to his new plan? Wearing a mask and disguising his voice as he kidnapped his ex-wife. He then went home, changed his clothes, returned to his ex-wife’s house, and called 911.

The AJC reports, “Deputies found that (the 36-year-old’s) search history on his phone and laptop included the following queries: How long before you starve to death? How to change the sound of your voice? and How long it takes to choke someone unconscious?” 

He was sentenced to 25 years in prison and the following 45 years on probation.

!!!Pandemic problems
At a hipster lounge on Sweet Auburn, a boyfriend and girlfriend got into a major argument over a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.

“At some point, the girlfriend’s ex-girlfriend got involved and sent over her family members to try to get money from the boyfriend,” reported 11Alive.

“The girlfriend used to date another girl, and that girl sent her brothers over here to talk about the PPP loan and try to get their money back,” Atlanta cops said.

The ex-girlfriend’s brother allegedly shot the boyfriend in the arm during the pandemic loan dispute. The boyfriend went to Grady Hospital and is in stable condition.

No suspects had been arrested by the time of writing.

But police say there’s surveillance video of the fight and shooting outside the Auburn Avenue lounge, and cops are actively pursuing suspects.

Tiny upside — Everyone involved in the pandemic-loan argument and resulting gunfire was properly masked. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
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How it went down? The dog returned home to its owner with a “suspicious, brown satchel,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Georgia. The dog’s owner opened the satchel, finding 154.78 grams of meth — worth thousands of dollars, according to 11Alive. The satchel also contained some lottery tickets.

Cops traced the lottery tickets to pinpoint the exact store where they’d been purchased. Cops then pulled the store’s surveillance video, leading them to the 44-year-old suspect, who later admitted he’d planned to distribute the meth in his satchel.

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!!!__The great rock ’n’ roll ripoff __
In downtown Atlanta, outraged music fans chanted the word “REFUND” at the Saturday Nite Old School Fest — the debut concert at The Home Depot Backyard near Mercedes-Benz stadium.

Vendors ran out of food and drinks. Some musical acts scheduled to perform — just didn’t.

“Many in the crowd started booing when Johnny Gill, who was part of New Edition, came onstage and said he would not be performing,” reported WSB-TV.

Concert-goer Cheryl Silver responded, “They must have said Johnny, we don’t have all your money, but we will give you something if you go out and say hi to the crowd.”

Other fans say musical performances at the festival began two hours late — and bottom-tier acts took up wayyyy too much stage time.

Reggie Nelson told WSB-TV, “This was one of the biggest rip-offs I’ve ever seen … My girlfriend came back from getting her drink — She was like, “Who are all these random acts we’re listening to?”

Concert promoter S.E.M.G. was apologetic on Facebook, stating in part, “For those that left early and expressed understandable frustration, we sincerely apologize that we missed the mark.”

!!!__Kick in the pants__
A bold Georgia teen is challenging what she calls the “sexist,” “racist,” and “classist” dress code at Cobb County School District.

On the first day of school, 13-year-old Sophia Trevino wore a white graphic T-shirt, ripped denim jeans, and Air Force 1 sneakers. Her parents gave the thumbs-up, approving her outfit.

Within minutes of her first day of eighth grade, Sophia was sent to the principal’s office for violating the dress code, along with 15 other girls. Sophia’s violation? “The rip in her jeans was higher than the tip of her finger when placed next to her thighs,” reports WSB-TV.

Sophia is angry, saying only females were in the principal’s office for dress code violations — thus, sexist.

Sophia says the jeans she was wearing are one of the few pairs that work with her body shape. “It’s very hard for me to find jeans that fit,” she told WSB-TV, noting she has bigger thighs and calves from playing soccer. “I’m not insecure about my body, but someone who wouldn’t be as confident would get really hurt by that mentally.”

Sophia’s petition garnered more than 3,000 signatures — and netted her an appearance on ABC’s ''Good Morning America''.

Her dad, Joe Trevino, firmly supports his daughter’s activism. Also, her father points out the irony in Cobb County School District’s strict dress code compared to its optional mask policy for students during a raging pandemic. “We are asking the district, ‘What is the difference between parents making a choice on masks and also parents having a say on what is appropriate for what kids can wear to school?”

We say, Bravo, Sophia!

!!!__Bad fortune__
Intown Atlanta neighbors were buzzing on Nextdoor about an alleged police raid on a female psychic’s store on Moreland Avenue. Atlanta police reportedly shut down part of Moreland and Hosea Williams Drive to raid the psychic on the corner.

Apparently, the psychic didn’t see the it coming. 

!!!__Lunatic love plan__
A 36-year-old, Cherokee County man kidnapped his ex-wife while in disguise, leaving her bound with zip ties and a pillowcase over her head on her porch — then pretending to rescue her in a twisted plot to win back her heart.

Officials call the man a “master manipulator.”

The 36-year-old man called 911 around 2 a.m. “When deputies arrived, they met him on the front porch of his ex-wife’s home. (The 36-year-old man) told officers that he had just arrived and found his ex-wife tied up on the back deck,” according to the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution''.

Not quite, nutball.

What really happened? The 36-year-old man tried to reconcile with his ex-wife the day before and even faked a cancer diagnosis to try to win her sympathy.

“When that didn’t work, he created a convoluted plan that the investigators in this case and our office truly believe involved a plot to kill her and then himself,” the Cherokee County assistant DA told the ''AJC''. “When he couldn’t go through with that plan, he instead devised a new plan to rescue her.”

The key to his new plan? Wearing a mask and disguising his voice as he kidnapped his ex-wife. He then went home, changed his clothes, returned to his ex-wife’s house, and called 911.

The ''AJC'' reports, “Deputies found that (the 36-year-old’s) search history on his phone and laptop included the following queries: How long before you starve to death? How to change the sound of your voice? and How long it takes to choke someone unconscious?” 

He was sentenced to 25 years in prison and the following 45 years on probation.

!!!__Pandemic problems__
At a hipster lounge on Sweet Auburn, a boyfriend and girlfriend got into a major argument over a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.

“At some point, the girlfriend’s ex-girlfriend got involved and sent over her family members to try to get money from the boyfriend,” reported 11Alive.

“The girlfriend used to date another girl, and that girl sent her brothers over here to talk about the PPP loan and try to get their money back,” Atlanta cops said.

The ex-girlfriend’s brother allegedly shot the boyfriend in the arm during the pandemic loan dispute. The boyfriend went to Grady Hospital and is in stable condition.

No suspects had been arrested by the time of writing.

But police say there’s surveillance video of the fight and shooting outside the Auburn Avenue lounge, and cops are actively pursuing suspects.

Tiny upside — Everyone involved in the pandemic-loan argument and resulting gunfire was properly masked. __—CL—__

''The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.''"
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  string(7456) " OCT Blotter Dog Reduced  2021-10-07T20:46:00+00:00 OCT_Blotter_dog_reduced.jpg      And other tales of life in the ATL OCT Blotter Dog Reduced   2021-10-07T18:03:15+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Lucky dog ben.eason Ben Eason LAUREN KEATING  lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2021-10-07T18:03:15+00:00 A super-smart dog found a 44-year-old man’s bag of methamphetamines and lottery tickets in Thomas County, Georgia, and now that man is going to prison. No, it’s not a cop dog … rather a smart-as-hell canine.

How it went down? The dog returned home to its owner with a “suspicious, brown satchel,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Georgia. The dog’s owner opened the satchel, finding 154.78 grams of meth — worth thousands of dollars, according to 11Alive. The satchel also contained some lottery tickets.

Cops traced the lottery tickets to pinpoint the exact store where they’d been purchased. Cops then pulled the store’s surveillance video, leading them to the 44-year-old suspect, who later admitted he’d planned to distribute the meth in his satchel.

Additionally, a woman said the 44-year-old allegedly visited her hotel, punched her in the face, and demanded to know where his special meth satchel was located. It won’t be the 44-year-old’s first time in prison — He’s a frequent flier there, according to authorities. 

!!!The great rock ’n’ roll ripoff 
In downtown Atlanta, outraged music fans chanted the word “REFUND” at the Saturday Nite Old School Fest — the debut concert at The Home Depot Backyard near Mercedes-Benz stadium.

Vendors ran out of food and drinks. Some musical acts scheduled to perform — just didn’t.

“Many in the crowd started booing when Johnny Gill, who was part of New Edition, came onstage and said he would not be performing,” reported WSB-TV.

Concert-goer Cheryl Silver responded, “They must have said Johnny, we don’t have all your money, but we will give you something if you go out and say hi to the crowd.”

Other fans say musical performances at the festival began two hours late — and bottom-tier acts took up wayyyy too much stage time.

Reggie Nelson told WSB-TV, “This was one of the biggest rip-offs I’ve ever seen … My girlfriend came back from getting her drink — She was like, “Who are all these random acts we’re listening to?”

Concert promoter S.E.M.G. was apologetic on Facebook, stating in part, “For those that left early and expressed understandable frustration, we sincerely apologize that we missed the mark.”

!!!Kick in the pants
A bold Georgia teen is challenging what she calls the “sexist,” “racist,” and “classist” dress code at Cobb County School District.

On the first day of school, 13-year-old Sophia Trevino wore a white graphic T-shirt, ripped denim jeans, and Air Force 1 sneakers. Her parents gave the thumbs-up, approving her outfit.

Within minutes of her first day of eighth grade, Sophia was sent to the principal’s office for violating the dress code, along with 15 other girls. Sophia’s violation? “The rip in her jeans was higher than the tip of her finger when placed next to her thighs,” reports WSB-TV.

Sophia is angry, saying only females were in the principal’s office for dress code violations — thus, sexist.

Sophia says the jeans she was wearing are one of the few pairs that work with her body shape. “It’s very hard for me to find jeans that fit,” she told WSB-TV, noting she has bigger thighs and calves from playing soccer. “I’m not insecure about my body, but someone who wouldn’t be as confident would get really hurt by that mentally.”

Sophia’s petition garnered more than 3,000 signatures — and netted her an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America.

Her dad, Joe Trevino, firmly supports his daughter’s activism. Also, her father points out the irony in Cobb County School District’s strict dress code compared to its optional mask policy for students during a raging pandemic. “We are asking the district, ‘What is the difference between parents making a choice on masks and also parents having a say on what is appropriate for what kids can wear to school?”

We say, Bravo, Sophia!

!!!Bad fortune
Intown Atlanta neighbors were buzzing on Nextdoor about an alleged police raid on a female psychic’s store on Moreland Avenue. Atlanta police reportedly shut down part of Moreland and Hosea Williams Drive to raid the psychic on the corner.

Apparently, the psychic didn’t see the it coming. 

!!!Lunatic love plan
A 36-year-old, Cherokee County man kidnapped his ex-wife while in disguise, leaving her bound with zip ties and a pillowcase over her head on her porch — then pretending to rescue her in a twisted plot to win back her heart.

Officials call the man a “master manipulator.”

The 36-year-old man called 911 around 2 a.m. “When deputies arrived, they met him on the front porch of his ex-wife’s home. (The 36-year-old man) told officers that he had just arrived and found his ex-wife tied up on the back deck,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Not quite, nutball.

What really happened? The 36-year-old man tried to reconcile with his ex-wife the day before and even faked a cancer diagnosis to try to win her sympathy.

“When that didn’t work, he created a convoluted plan that the investigators in this case and our office truly believe involved a plot to kill her and then himself,” the Cherokee County assistant DA told the AJC. “When he couldn’t go through with that plan, he instead devised a new plan to rescue her.”

The key to his new plan? Wearing a mask and disguising his voice as he kidnapped his ex-wife. He then went home, changed his clothes, returned to his ex-wife’s house, and called 911.

The AJC reports, “Deputies found that (the 36-year-old’s) search history on his phone and laptop included the following queries: How long before you starve to death? How to change the sound of your voice? and How long it takes to choke someone unconscious?” 

He was sentenced to 25 years in prison and the following 45 years on probation.

!!!Pandemic problems
At a hipster lounge on Sweet Auburn, a boyfriend and girlfriend got into a major argument over a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.

“At some point, the girlfriend’s ex-girlfriend got involved and sent over her family members to try to get money from the boyfriend,” reported 11Alive.

“The girlfriend used to date another girl, and that girl sent her brothers over here to talk about the PPP loan and try to get their money back,” Atlanta cops said.

The ex-girlfriend’s brother allegedly shot the boyfriend in the arm during the pandemic loan dispute. The boyfriend went to Grady Hospital and is in stable condition.

No suspects had been arrested by the time of writing.

But police say there’s surveillance video of the fight and shooting outside the Auburn Avenue lounge, and cops are actively pursuing suspects.

Tiny upside — Everyone involved in the pandemic-loan argument and resulting gunfire was properly masked. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    ILLUSTRATION BY TRAY BUTLER   0,0,10                           THE BLOTTER: Lucky dog "
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  string(6357) "OK, most of the time, NextDoor is annoying AF. But every once in a while, it’s hilarious.

An Oakhurst woman described her bizarre experience at Target. “We saw a family in Edgewood Target this afternoon all with a variety of snakes wrapped around their necks. We stopped and stared at them for a bit because obviously they wanted attention. Is this normal? Were they comfort snakes? How odd.”

A different woman replied, “My fat ass read this as snacks.”

Another comment: “Excuse u, this is my emotional support snack necklace.”

Another comment: “There was a reptile show this weekend.”

The first Oakhurst woman replied, “OK, but do the reptiles need to go to Target afterward??!”

Perhaps the family with snakes around their necks was just implementing an extremely clever social-distancing trick. Just think, if everyone wore snakes around their necks, we’d have this pandemic wrapped up in no time flat.

RIDICULOUS RIDER

A 31-year-old man stole a horse near the Georgia-South Carolina border and tried to hide it in a bedroom — not his own bedroom, not even his own home — a bedroom in his dad’s house.

How did he got caught? A woman spotted the man riding the horse down the country lane and coaxing the horse into his dad’s home in Oconee County, SC.

The son wasn’t even supposed to be inside his father’s house (police already had a warrant out for the son’s arrest for other burglaries). The woman called the cops who notified the dad who raced home and met authorities there.

“The father opened the door of the home, and deputies saw horse feces in the living room,” according to WISTV’s police report. “A full-size Quarter Horse was found standing in the middle of a bedroom that [[[the son] was in.” A full-size Quarter Horse weighs up to 1,200 pounds.

A sheriff’s deputy wrote, “The horse appeared to be calm, and I continued following [[[the son] into the bathroom,” where the son was arrested.

Deputies contacted the horse’s owner who says his Quarter Horse is valued at $6,500 and his horse now has a red cut on a front leg that was not there before.

The 31-year-old son is charged with stealing livestock and faces other charges related to different burglaries and thefts.

ACTIVIST CAPER

Atlanta graffiti activists painted antifa-inspired Smurfs outside a controversial Confederate souvenir shop in Kennesaw.

“A brick wall atop the Wildman’s Civil War Surplus store was vandalized with what the alleged culprits described as ‘Antifa Smurfs’ that resemble the blue cartoon characters,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Apparently, the activists did their homework to successfully pull off this caper. About six months ago, the activists pretended to be Civil War buffs and befriended the 90-year-old owner of Wildman’s Civil War Surplus, a man named Dent “Wildman” Myers. The activists allegedly got Myers’ permission to redesign the Confederate store’s mural and logo, which features armed Confederate soldiers and the store’s name. But owner Myers didn’t know what design they would choose.

In addition to the blue Antifa Smurfs, the activists replaced the store’s name, Wildman’s Civil War Surplus, with the phrase “Respect Existence or Expect Resistance.”

The activist group Indecline, which targets racism and social injustices, is taking credit for the caper, calling it a “large-scale art installation.”

Wildman’s Civil War Surplus opened in 1971 and sells segregationist and Confederate memorabilia.

REALITY BITES

A Georgia surfing instructor says he’s “more than lucky” after a shark attacked him while he was teaching children.

Atsushi Yamada owns Hot Sushi’s Happy Surf Camp Aloha on Tybee Island. He was on his surfboard helping a student back to shore when a shark bit him on the leg, he tells WRCB. Yamada tried to stay calm  to not startle his young students. After paddling back to shore, he got a lifeguard to call an ambulance.

The shark — and its teeth — left three significant gashes on the instructor’s leg, requiring several stitches at a local hospital.

Yamada is “super duper thankful” that he was the only one in the water at the time of the attack. “It [[[could] have been much, much worse,” he posted on Facebook.

Yamada insists he has a renewed outlook on life since the shark attack. “I feel more alive,” he told WJCL-TV. “I feel like I want to do more.”

DUMBASS DRIVER

A FedEx driver was delivering a package to an apartment complex on Wilmington Island near Savannah. He drives  through a grassy area, backs up, hits one car, backs up again — and hits two trees and a utility pole.

A police officer arrives and asks the Fed-Ex Driver: Where’s your driver’s license?

The driver answered: It’s in my lunch box. Take a look.

So the cop opens the Fed-Ex driver’s lunchbox — which contained two empty bottles of Amsterdam vodka.

The driver was charged with DUI.

Special hat tip to a new “Friend of The Blotter” for that one!

CHECKS AND BALANCES

A new trend in Savannah has emerged in recent weeks. Several people who pay their utility bills via snail mail — and put their mailbox flag up to signal the postman for outgoing mail — have started noticing their payment checks disappearing from their mailboxes.

Apparently, suspects are whiting out the check-writers’ signatures and replacing them with their own names — you know, the real names of the criminal suspects. Then, the suspects increase check payment amounts to sums just under $2,000 and electronically deposit the checks into their own bank accounts. Stupidly, all the suspects’ names show up in databases as real people.

One Savannah mother inadvertently implicated her own son. The mother noticed a pile of mail sitting in her home, but all the mail was addressed to her neighbor. The mother did the kind thing and took the wayward mail to the female neighbor’s house. The neighbor thanked the mother and mentioned that her utility payment check was stolen from her mailbox recently. Turns out, the mother’s son allegedly was the culprit. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news — and puts them into her own words."
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  string(6416) "OK, most of the time, NextDoor is annoying AF. But every once in a while, it’s hilarious.

An Oakhurst woman described her bizarre experience at Target. “We saw a family in Edgewood Target this afternoon all with a variety of snakes wrapped around their necks. We stopped and stared at them for a bit because obviously they wanted attention. Is this normal? Were they comfort snakes? How odd.”

A different woman replied, “My fat ass read this as snacks.”

Another comment: “Excuse u, this is my emotional support snack necklace.”

Another comment: “There was a reptile show this weekend.”

The first Oakhurst woman replied, “OK, but do the reptiles need to go to Target afterward??!”

Perhaps the family with snakes around their necks was just implementing an extremely clever social-distancing trick. Just think, if everyone wore snakes around their necks, we’d have this pandemic wrapped up in ''no time flat''.

__RIDICULOUS RIDER__

A 31-year-old man stole a horse near the Georgia-South Carolina border and tried to hide it in a bedroom — not his own bedroom, not even his ''own home'' — a bedroom in his dad’s house.

How did he got caught? A woman spotted the man riding the horse down the country lane and coaxing the horse into his dad’s home in Oconee County, SC.

The son wasn’t even supposed to ''be inside'' his father’s house (police already had a warrant out for the son’s arrest for other burglaries). The woman called the cops who notified the dad who raced home and met authorities there.

“The father opened the door of the home, and deputies saw horse feces in the living room,” according to WISTV’s police report. “A full-size Quarter Horse was found standing in the middle of a bedroom that [[[[the son] was in.” A full-size Quarter Horse weighs up to 1,200 pounds.

A sheriff’s deputy wrote, “The horse appeared to be calm, and I continued following [[[[the son] into the bathroom,” where the son was arrested.

Deputies contacted the horse’s owner who says his Quarter Horse is valued at $6,500 and his horse now has a red cut on a front leg that was not there before.

The 31-year-old son is charged with stealing livestock and faces other charges related to different burglaries and thefts.

__ACTIVIST CAPER__

Atlanta graffiti activists painted antifa-inspired Smurfs outside a controversial Confederate souvenir shop in Kennesaw.

“A brick wall atop the Wildman’s Civil War Surplus store was vandalized with what the alleged culprits described as ‘Antifa Smurfs’ that resemble the blue cartoon characters,” according to the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution''.

Apparently, the activists did their homework to successfully pull off this caper. About six months ago, the activists pretended to be Civil War buffs and ''befriended'' the 90-year-old owner of Wildman’s Civil War Surplus, a man named Dent “Wildman” Myers. The activists allegedly got Myers’ ''permission'' to redesign the Confederate store’s mural and logo, which features armed Confederate soldiers and the store’s name. But owner Myers didn’t know what design they would choose.

In addition to the blue Antifa Smurfs, the activists replaced the store’s name, Wildman’s Civil War Surplus, with the phrase “Respect Existence or Expect Resistance.”

The activist group Indecline, which targets racism and social injustices, is taking credit for the caper, calling it a “large-scale art installation.”

Wildman’s Civil War Surplus opened in 1971 and sells segregationist and Confederate memorabilia.

__REALITY BITES__

A Georgia surfing instructor says he’s “more than lucky” after a shark attacked him while he was teaching children.

Atsushi Yamada owns Hot Sushi’s Happy Surf Camp Aloha on Tybee Island. He was on his surfboard helping a student back to shore when a shark bit him on the leg, he tells WRCB. Yamada tried to stay calm  to not startle his young students. After paddling back to shore, he got a lifeguard to call an ambulance.

The shark — and its teeth — left three significant gashes on the instructor’s leg, requiring several stitches at a local hospital.

Yamada is “super duper thankful” that he was the only one in the water at the time of the attack. “It [[[[could] have been much, much worse,” he posted on Facebook.

Yamada insists he has a renewed outlook on life since the shark attack. “I feel more alive,” he told WJCL-TV. “I feel like I want to do more.”

__DUMBASS DRIVER__

A FedEx driver was delivering a package to an apartment complex on Wilmington Island near Savannah. He drives  through a grassy area, backs up, hits one car, backs up again — and hits two trees and a utility pole.

A police officer arrives and asks the Fed-Ex Driver: Where’s your driver’s license?

The driver answered: It’s in my lunch box. Take a look.

So the cop opens the Fed-Ex driver’s lunchbox — which contained two empty bottles of Amsterdam vodka.

The driver was charged with DUI.

''Special hat tip to a new “Friend of The Blotter” for that one!''

__CHECKS AND BALANCES__

A new trend in Savannah has emerged in recent weeks. Several people who pay their utility bills via snail mail — and put their mailbox flag up to signal the postman for outgoing mail — have started noticing their payment checks disappearing from their mailboxes.

Apparently, suspects are whiting out the check-writers’ signatures and replacing them with their own names — you know, the real names of the criminal suspects. Then, the suspects increase check payment amounts to sums just under $2,000 and electronically deposit the checks into their own bank accounts. Stupidly, all the suspects’ names show up in databases as real people.

One Savannah mother inadvertently implicated her own son. The mother noticed a pile of mail sitting in her home, but all the mail was addressed to her neighbor. The mother did the kind thing and took the wayward mail to the female neighbor’s house. The neighbor thanked the mother and mentioned that her utility payment check was stolen from her mailbox recently. Turns out, the mother’s son allegedly was the culprit. __—CL—__

''The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news — and puts them into her own words.''"
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  string(6794) " SEP Blot Targetsnake Final Rev  2021-08-30T21:34:08+00:00 SEP_blot_targetsnake-final_rev.jpg      And other tales of life in the ATL SEP Blot Targetsnake Final Rev   2021-09-01T21:30:00+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Accessorizing with flair jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2021-09-01T21:30:00+00:00 OK, most of the time, NextDoor is annoying AF. But every once in a while, it’s hilarious.

An Oakhurst woman described her bizarre experience at Target. “We saw a family in Edgewood Target this afternoon all with a variety of snakes wrapped around their necks. We stopped and stared at them for a bit because obviously they wanted attention. Is this normal? Were they comfort snakes? How odd.”

A different woman replied, “My fat ass read this as snacks.”

Another comment: “Excuse u, this is my emotional support snack necklace.”

Another comment: “There was a reptile show this weekend.”

The first Oakhurst woman replied, “OK, but do the reptiles need to go to Target afterward??!”

Perhaps the family with snakes around their necks was just implementing an extremely clever social-distancing trick. Just think, if everyone wore snakes around their necks, we’d have this pandemic wrapped up in no time flat.

RIDICULOUS RIDER

A 31-year-old man stole a horse near the Georgia-South Carolina border and tried to hide it in a bedroom — not his own bedroom, not even his own home — a bedroom in his dad’s house.

How did he got caught? A woman spotted the man riding the horse down the country lane and coaxing the horse into his dad’s home in Oconee County, SC.

The son wasn’t even supposed to be inside his father’s house (police already had a warrant out for the son’s arrest for other burglaries). The woman called the cops who notified the dad who raced home and met authorities there.

“The father opened the door of the home, and deputies saw horse feces in the living room,” according to WISTV’s police report. “A full-size Quarter Horse was found standing in the middle of a bedroom that [[[the son] was in.” A full-size Quarter Horse weighs up to 1,200 pounds.

A sheriff’s deputy wrote, “The horse appeared to be calm, and I continued following [[[the son] into the bathroom,” where the son was arrested.

Deputies contacted the horse’s owner who says his Quarter Horse is valued at $6,500 and his horse now has a red cut on a front leg that was not there before.

The 31-year-old son is charged with stealing livestock and faces other charges related to different burglaries and thefts.

ACTIVIST CAPER

Atlanta graffiti activists painted antifa-inspired Smurfs outside a controversial Confederate souvenir shop in Kennesaw.

“A brick wall atop the Wildman’s Civil War Surplus store was vandalized with what the alleged culprits described as ‘Antifa Smurfs’ that resemble the blue cartoon characters,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Apparently, the activists did their homework to successfully pull off this caper. About six months ago, the activists pretended to be Civil War buffs and befriended the 90-year-old owner of Wildman’s Civil War Surplus, a man named Dent “Wildman” Myers. The activists allegedly got Myers’ permission to redesign the Confederate store’s mural and logo, which features armed Confederate soldiers and the store’s name. But owner Myers didn’t know what design they would choose.

In addition to the blue Antifa Smurfs, the activists replaced the store’s name, Wildman’s Civil War Surplus, with the phrase “Respect Existence or Expect Resistance.”

The activist group Indecline, which targets racism and social injustices, is taking credit for the caper, calling it a “large-scale art installation.”

Wildman’s Civil War Surplus opened in 1971 and sells segregationist and Confederate memorabilia.

REALITY BITES

A Georgia surfing instructor says he’s “more than lucky” after a shark attacked him while he was teaching children.

Atsushi Yamada owns Hot Sushi’s Happy Surf Camp Aloha on Tybee Island. He was on his surfboard helping a student back to shore when a shark bit him on the leg, he tells WRCB. Yamada tried to stay calm  to not startle his young students. After paddling back to shore, he got a lifeguard to call an ambulance.

The shark — and its teeth — left three significant gashes on the instructor’s leg, requiring several stitches at a local hospital.

Yamada is “super duper thankful” that he was the only one in the water at the time of the attack. “It [[[could] have been much, much worse,” he posted on Facebook.

Yamada insists he has a renewed outlook on life since the shark attack. “I feel more alive,” he told WJCL-TV. “I feel like I want to do more.”

DUMBASS DRIVER

A FedEx driver was delivering a package to an apartment complex on Wilmington Island near Savannah. He drives  through a grassy area, backs up, hits one car, backs up again — and hits two trees and a utility pole.

A police officer arrives and asks the Fed-Ex Driver: Where’s your driver’s license?

The driver answered: It’s in my lunch box. Take a look.

So the cop opens the Fed-Ex driver’s lunchbox — which contained two empty bottles of Amsterdam vodka.

The driver was charged with DUI.

Special hat tip to a new “Friend of The Blotter” for that one!

CHECKS AND BALANCES

A new trend in Savannah has emerged in recent weeks. Several people who pay their utility bills via snail mail — and put their mailbox flag up to signal the postman for outgoing mail — have started noticing their payment checks disappearing from their mailboxes.

Apparently, suspects are whiting out the check-writers’ signatures and replacing them with their own names — you know, the real names of the criminal suspects. Then, the suspects increase check payment amounts to sums just under $2,000 and electronically deposit the checks into their own bank accounts. Stupidly, all the suspects’ names show up in databases as real people.

One Savannah mother inadvertently implicated her own son. The mother noticed a pile of mail sitting in her home, but all the mail was addressed to her neighbor. The mother did the kind thing and took the wayward mail to the female neighbor’s house. The neighbor thanked the mother and mentioned that her utility payment check was stolen from her mailbox recently. Turns out, the mother’s son allegedly was the culprit. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news — and puts them into her own words.    Illustration by Tray Butler   0,0,10                           THE BLOTTER: Accessorizing with flair "
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  string(7190) "A Georgia family found 18 snakes in their bedroom. Eighteen.

“Before going to bed, I spotted what I thought was a piece of fuzz on the floor, went to reach for it — and it moved,” Trish Wilcher of Augusta, Georgia, posted on Facebook. “And then a second later, another piece moved, and I went to my husband, ‘We have snakes!’”

Wilcher posted photos of the snakes — most of them not yet full grown. “Look at all the baby snakes in my bedroom … I am freaked out.”

Wilcher says initially, she counted nine snakes. She even found the “momma” snake under her bed. The Wilcher family turned the bedroom “upside down” looking for snakes. After finding 10, the Wilchers called in a wildlife trapper, who came to their home and found eight more: in total, 17 babies plus the “momma” snake, according to WSB-TV.

Apparently, Wilcher’s husband Max took a grabber tool and put the snakes in a linen bag, the released them all into a nearby creek area. Bravo, brave Max!

“I may need a cardiologist after this!!!” joked Trish Wilcher. The trapper identified the momma and babies as harmless garter snakes.

!!SCORCHED SWEET SHOP
In Midtown, the iconic Krispy Kreme burned down — again. For the second time in five months, firefighters battled flames at the legendary donut shop that has graced Ponce de Leon Avenue for six decades. Video posted online showed fire shooting through the roof.

Krispy Kreme has been closed since February 10. That’s when a suspected arsonist set fire to the place, causing catastrophic damage. Krispy Kreme was still closed for rebuilding when the most recent fire erupted in July. The exact cause remains under investigation.

The owner of Midtown’s much-lauded Krispy Kreme: NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. Loyal readers may recall, when the Krispy Kreme burned five months ago, Shaq vowed to rebuild the Atlanta landmark.

Here’s our Blotter message to Shaq: “Don’t give up, pal. Despite two fires, we want our all-time favorite doughnut shop to come back soon.”

Plus this: “C’mon, Shaq, you may need to hire some extra security in the meantime to guard the iconic Krispy Kreme during rebuilding. Or at least keep some water and hoses on hand for potential fires? Just a thought.”

!!WINGING IT?
In Buckhead, a red-haired woman left a suspicious small box near a traffic light at the intersection of Roswell and Wieuca roads. The redhead made her odd drop-off at 10:22 a.m. on a Saturday, according to a witness who spoke with CBS46.com.

Atlanta cops quickly shut down the intersection and called Homeland Security Department, SWAT teams, and the APD Bomb Unit.

Investigators opened the box, and found zero explosives. Instead, the box contained the remains of a dead bird.

Apparently, the red-haired woman is still at large.

!!IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN
A green-haired woman was duct-taped to her seat after allegedly trying to open an airplane door midflight. That’s according to American Airlines.

The main witness who spoke to the media — Elizabeth LaClair — was on the plane, traveling home to Augusta, Georgia, after her hiking trip in Utah.

LaClair said she heard a woman sitting behind her say to the man in the adjacent seat that she didn’t want the plane “to fly up any more.” “She just seemed off and very odd,” LaClair told the Washington Post. “She started getting more and more agitated and very loud, and the man sitting next to her, along with the flight attendants, kindly tried to console her and calm her, but nothing worked.”

Suddenly, the woman, who appeared to be in her 30s, ran to the plane door and tried to open it, LaClair said. Flight attendants “tackled” the green-haired woman, restraining her wrists and feet with duct tape and what appeared to be zip ties, LaClair said.

“It was the look of pure shock of someone who, I imagine,has been a flight attendant for many years and is thinking, I can’t believe this is happening,” LaClair said.

“After being partially restrained in the crew area, LaClair said, the woman seemed to become more erratic and violent by the minute, kicking and screaming expletives and causing ‘a ruckus,’” reported the Washington Post.

During the ruckus, flight attendants asked passengers in the rows ahead of and behind the woman to stand up so employees could subdue the woman and duct-tape her to her seat.

LaClair said the woman continued to curse and yell obscenities throughout the flight. “All we wanted was for the flight to land, which felt like an eternity.”

American Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement to the Post. “We applaud our crew for their professionalism and quick effort to protect those on board.”

!!THE “SHITTY LUCK ON ATL HIGHWAYS” AWARD
In Sandy Springs, a falling tree crushed a truck traveling on I-285. The male driver said, “The tree went through it! I saw the cars swerve — and boom!!” according to Fox5Atlanta. The crash happened in the eastbound lanes of I-285 near New Northside Drive.

It gets worse. The unlucky driver had just purchased the truck a few months ago. Now, he’s worried about how he’s gonna get to and from his doctors’ appointments without a reliable ride.

In another unlucky stroke, the male driver ain’t gonna get any money from the Georgia Department of Transportation to replace his truck. According to GDOT, the tree stood on private property before it tumbled. Good luck with that.

!!SHOCKING BEDMATE
An Atlanta woman woke up to a heinously unexpected bedmate: A large African wild cat beside her in bed.

Kristine Frank of Brookhaven has never experienced anything close to this bizarre in her eight years in the city. Her bedmate: An African serval, which is often mistaken for a cheetah or a leopard, and is sometimes kept as an exotic pet.

“I yell for my husband and yell, ‘Dave, that is not a cat! So he comes in the room, and I’m just in bed freaking out. He locked eyes with the cat, and the cat was kind of cornered. So, I slowly got out of the bed and tippy-toed out, and my husband was able to get the cat out of the house,” Frank told WXIA.

Husband Dave snapped a photo as the cat ran away (otherwise, would anyone believe this?).

The Franks called authorities. Officials believed the serval was “in the area of the Capital City Country Club, between Buckhead and Brookhaven … last seen near the country club’s golf course,” according to WSB-TV.

After a few days, the serval was finally captured (near the country club’s golf course.) The owner said she’s from South Carolina, where it’s legal to own servals — and her wild cat is named “Nala” after the Disney princess. She moved to Georgia to attend college. With her serval?

The serval likely got into Frank’s home when she let her dog outside in the middle of the night.

Yes, folks, it’s illegal to own a wild serval as a pet in the state of Georgia. —CL—

Items in the Blotter are taken from actual Atlanta police reports and local media outlets. The Blotter Diva compiles them and puts them into her own words."
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“Before going to bed, I spotted what I thought was a piece of fuzz on the floor, went to reach for it — and it moved,” Trish Wilcher of Augusta, Georgia, posted on Facebook. “And then a second later, another piece moved, and I went to my husband, ‘We have snakes!’”

Wilcher posted photos of the snakes — most of them not yet full grown. “Look at all the baby snakes in my bedroom … I am freaked out.”

Wilcher says initially, she counted nine snakes. She even found the “momma” snake under her bed. The Wilcher family turned the bedroom “upside down” looking for snakes. After finding 10, the Wilchers called in a wildlife trapper, who came to their home and found eight more: in total, 17 babies plus the “momma” snake, according to WSB-TV.

Apparently, Wilcher’s husband Max took a grabber tool and put the snakes in a linen bag, the released them all into a nearby creek area. Bravo, brave Max!

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!!__SCORCHED SWEET SHOP__
In Midtown, the iconic Krispy Kreme burned down — again. For the second time in five months, firefighters battled flames at the legendary donut shop that has graced Ponce de Leon Avenue for six decades. Video posted online showed fire shooting through the roof.

Krispy Kreme has been closed since February 10. That’s when a suspected arsonist set fire to the place, causing catastrophic damage. Krispy Kreme was still closed for rebuilding when the most recent fire erupted in July. The exact cause remains under investigation.

The owner of Midtown’s much-lauded Krispy Kreme: NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. Loyal readers may recall, when the Krispy Kreme burned five months ago, Shaq vowed to rebuild the Atlanta landmark.

Here’s our Blotter message to Shaq: “Don’t give up, pal. Despite two fires, we want our all-time favorite doughnut shop to come back soon.”

Plus this: “C’mon, Shaq, you may need to hire some extra security in the meantime to guard the iconic Krispy Kreme during rebuilding. Or at least keep some water and hoses on hand for potential fires? Just a thought.”

!!__WINGING IT?__
In Buckhead, a red-haired woman left a suspicious small box near a traffic light at the intersection of Roswell and Wieuca roads. The redhead made her odd drop-off at 10:22 a.m. on a Saturday, according to a witness who spoke with CBS46.com.

Atlanta cops quickly shut down the intersection and called Homeland Security Department, SWAT teams, and the APD Bomb Unit.

Investigators opened the box, and found zero explosives. Instead, the box contained the remains of a dead bird.

Apparently, the red-haired woman is still at large.

!!__IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN__
A green-haired woman was duct-taped to her seat after allegedly trying to open an airplane door midflight. That’s according to American Airlines.

The main witness who spoke to the media — Elizabeth LaClair — was on the plane, traveling home to Augusta, Georgia, after her hiking trip in Utah.

LaClair said she heard a woman sitting behind her say to the man in the adjacent seat that she didn’t want the plane “to fly up any more.” “She just seemed off and very odd,” LaClair told the Washington Post. “She started getting more and more agitated and very loud, and the man sitting next to her, along with the flight attendants, kindly tried to console her and calm her, but nothing worked.”

Suddenly, the woman, who appeared to be in her 30s, ran to the plane door and tried to open it, LaClair said. Flight attendants “tackled” the green-haired woman, restraining her wrists and feet with duct tape and what appeared to be zip ties, LaClair said.

“It was the look of pure shock of someone who, I imagine,has been a flight attendant for many years and is thinking, I can’t believe this is happening,” LaClair said.

“After being partially restrained in the crew area, LaClair said, the woman seemed to become more erratic and violent by the minute, kicking and screaming expletives and causing ‘a ruckus,’” reported the Washington Post.

During the ruckus, flight attendants asked passengers in the rows ahead of and behind the woman to stand up so employees could subdue the woman and duct-tape her to her seat.

LaClair said the woman continued to curse and yell obscenities throughout the flight. “All we wanted was for the flight to land, which felt like an eternity.”

American Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement to the Post. “We applaud our crew for their professionalism and quick effort to protect those on board.”

!!__THE “SHITTY LUCK ON ATL HIGHWAYS” AWARD__
In Sandy Springs, a falling tree crushed a truck traveling on I-285. The male driver said, “The tree went through it! I saw the cars swerve — and boom!!” according to Fox5Atlanta. The crash happened in the eastbound lanes of I-285 near New Northside Drive.

It gets worse. The unlucky driver had just purchased the truck a few months ago. Now, he’s worried about how he’s gonna get to and from his doctors’ appointments without a reliable ride.

In another unlucky stroke, the male driver ain’t gonna get any money from the Georgia Department of Transportation to replace his truck. According to GDOT, the tree stood on private property before it tumbled. Good luck with that.

!!__SHOCKING BEDMATE__
An Atlanta woman woke up to a heinously unexpected bedmate: A large African wild cat beside her in bed.

Kristine Frank of Brookhaven has never experienced anything close to this bizarre in her eight years in the city. Her bedmate: An African serval, which is often mistaken for a cheetah or a leopard, and is sometimes kept as an exotic pet.

“I yell for my husband and yell, ‘Dave, that is not a cat! So he comes in the room, and I’m just in bed freaking out. He locked eyes with the cat, and the cat was kind of cornered. So, I slowly got out of the bed and tippy-toed out, and my husband was able to get the cat out of the house,” Frank told WXIA.

Husband Dave snapped a photo as the cat ran away (otherwise, would anyone believe this?).

The Franks called authorities. Officials believed the serval was “in the area of the Capital City Country Club, between Buckhead and Brookhaven … last seen near the country club’s golf course,” according to WSB-TV.

After a few days, the serval was finally captured (near the country club’s golf course.) The owner said she’s from South Carolina, where it’s legal to own servals — and her wild cat is named “Nala” after the Disney princess. She moved to Georgia to attend college. With her serval?

The serval likely got into Frank’s home when she let her dog outside in the middle of the night.

Yes, folks, it’s illegal to own a wild serval as a pet in the state of Georgia. __—CL—__

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  string(7691) " 0821 Blot Serval Cat Reduced  2021-08-02T14:40:13+00:00 0821_blot_serval_cat_reduced.jpg     shaquille o’neal And other tales of life in the ATL 0821 Blot Serval Cat Reduced   2021-08-02T14:32:33+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Clash with the fuzz jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2021-08-02T14:32:33+00:00 A Georgia family found 18 snakes in their bedroom. Eighteen.

“Before going to bed, I spotted what I thought was a piece of fuzz on the floor, went to reach for it — and it moved,” Trish Wilcher of Augusta, Georgia, posted on Facebook. “And then a second later, another piece moved, and I went to my husband, ‘We have snakes!’”

Wilcher posted photos of the snakes — most of them not yet full grown. “Look at all the baby snakes in my bedroom … I am freaked out.”

Wilcher says initially, she counted nine snakes. She even found the “momma” snake under her bed. The Wilcher family turned the bedroom “upside down” looking for snakes. After finding 10, the Wilchers called in a wildlife trapper, who came to their home and found eight more: in total, 17 babies plus the “momma” snake, according to WSB-TV.

Apparently, Wilcher’s husband Max took a grabber tool and put the snakes in a linen bag, the released them all into a nearby creek area. Bravo, brave Max!

“I may need a cardiologist after this!!!” joked Trish Wilcher. The trapper identified the momma and babies as harmless garter snakes.

!!SCORCHED SWEET SHOP
In Midtown, the iconic Krispy Kreme burned down — again. For the second time in five months, firefighters battled flames at the legendary donut shop that has graced Ponce de Leon Avenue for six decades. Video posted online showed fire shooting through the roof.

Krispy Kreme has been closed since February 10. That’s when a suspected arsonist set fire to the place, causing catastrophic damage. Krispy Kreme was still closed for rebuilding when the most recent fire erupted in July. The exact cause remains under investigation.

The owner of Midtown’s much-lauded Krispy Kreme: NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. Loyal readers may recall, when the Krispy Kreme burned five months ago, Shaq vowed to rebuild the Atlanta landmark.

Here’s our Blotter message to Shaq: “Don’t give up, pal. Despite two fires, we want our all-time favorite doughnut shop to come back soon.”

Plus this: “C’mon, Shaq, you may need to hire some extra security in the meantime to guard the iconic Krispy Kreme during rebuilding. Or at least keep some water and hoses on hand for potential fires? Just a thought.”

!!WINGING IT?
In Buckhead, a red-haired woman left a suspicious small box near a traffic light at the intersection of Roswell and Wieuca roads. The redhead made her odd drop-off at 10:22 a.m. on a Saturday, according to a witness who spoke with CBS46.com.

Atlanta cops quickly shut down the intersection and called Homeland Security Department, SWAT teams, and the APD Bomb Unit.

Investigators opened the box, and found zero explosives. Instead, the box contained the remains of a dead bird.

Apparently, the red-haired woman is still at large.

!!IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN
A green-haired woman was duct-taped to her seat after allegedly trying to open an airplane door midflight. That’s according to American Airlines.

The main witness who spoke to the media — Elizabeth LaClair — was on the plane, traveling home to Augusta, Georgia, after her hiking trip in Utah.

LaClair said she heard a woman sitting behind her say to the man in the adjacent seat that she didn’t want the plane “to fly up any more.” “She just seemed off and very odd,” LaClair told the Washington Post. “She started getting more and more agitated and very loud, and the man sitting next to her, along with the flight attendants, kindly tried to console her and calm her, but nothing worked.”

Suddenly, the woman, who appeared to be in her 30s, ran to the plane door and tried to open it, LaClair said. Flight attendants “tackled” the green-haired woman, restraining her wrists and feet with duct tape and what appeared to be zip ties, LaClair said.

“It was the look of pure shock of someone who, I imagine,has been a flight attendant for many years and is thinking, I can’t believe this is happening,” LaClair said.

“After being partially restrained in the crew area, LaClair said, the woman seemed to become more erratic and violent by the minute, kicking and screaming expletives and causing ‘a ruckus,’” reported the Washington Post.

During the ruckus, flight attendants asked passengers in the rows ahead of and behind the woman to stand up so employees could subdue the woman and duct-tape her to her seat.

LaClair said the woman continued to curse and yell obscenities throughout the flight. “All we wanted was for the flight to land, which felt like an eternity.”

American Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement to the Post. “We applaud our crew for their professionalism and quick effort to protect those on board.”

!!THE “SHITTY LUCK ON ATL HIGHWAYS” AWARD
In Sandy Springs, a falling tree crushed a truck traveling on I-285. The male driver said, “The tree went through it! I saw the cars swerve — and boom!!” according to Fox5Atlanta. The crash happened in the eastbound lanes of I-285 near New Northside Drive.

It gets worse. The unlucky driver had just purchased the truck a few months ago. Now, he’s worried about how he’s gonna get to and from his doctors’ appointments without a reliable ride.

In another unlucky stroke, the male driver ain’t gonna get any money from the Georgia Department of Transportation to replace his truck. According to GDOT, the tree stood on private property before it tumbled. Good luck with that.

!!SHOCKING BEDMATE
An Atlanta woman woke up to a heinously unexpected bedmate: A large African wild cat beside her in bed.

Kristine Frank of Brookhaven has never experienced anything close to this bizarre in her eight years in the city. Her bedmate: An African serval, which is often mistaken for a cheetah or a leopard, and is sometimes kept as an exotic pet.

“I yell for my husband and yell, ‘Dave, that is not a cat! So he comes in the room, and I’m just in bed freaking out. He locked eyes with the cat, and the cat was kind of cornered. So, I slowly got out of the bed and tippy-toed out, and my husband was able to get the cat out of the house,” Frank told WXIA.

Husband Dave snapped a photo as the cat ran away (otherwise, would anyone believe this?).

The Franks called authorities. Officials believed the serval was “in the area of the Capital City Country Club, between Buckhead and Brookhaven … last seen near the country club’s golf course,” according to WSB-TV.

After a few days, the serval was finally captured (near the country club’s golf course.) The owner said she’s from South Carolina, where it’s legal to own servals — and her wild cat is named “Nala” after the Disney princess. She moved to Georgia to attend college. With her serval?

The serval likely got into Frank’s home when she let her dog outside in the middle of the night.

Yes, folks, it’s illegal to own a wild serval as a pet in the state of Georgia. —CL—

Items in the Blotter are taken from actual Atlanta police reports and local media outlets. The Blotter Diva compiles them and puts them into her own words.    Tray Butler   0,0,2 Krispy Kreme (itemId:10247 trackerid:1)  cl issue august 2021 "Shaquille O’Neal"                       THE BLOTTER: Clash with the fuzz "
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  string(6762) "Passengers on a recent Delta Airlines flight from LA to Atlanta got a hell of a chaotic ride. Midair, the pilot suddenly came on the intercom to say: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. We’d like all strong males to come to the front of the aircraft to handle a problem passenger.”

The problem? A 34-year-old Atlanta man (who’s an off-duty Delta flight attendant) wearing a helmet. Crew members said the 34-year-old “was exhibiting strange and paranoid behavior,” such as stashing weird items — tennis balls with writing on them, trash, and food — in various places on the plane.

Apparently, the 34-year-old allegedly tried to take over the plane’s PA system, threatened to bring the plane down, and attacked two flight attendants.

Several sturdy male passengers rushed up and started wrestling with the 34-year-old, trying to control him. “Keep him down, keep him down!” someone said.

The Delta plane made an emergency landing in Oklahoma City, where the 34-year-old was removed and taken to jail. Police searched the plane — found nothing suspicious — and the flight eventually went on to Atlanta.

One passenger said the man tried to open a cabin door mid-flight, but a Delta spokesman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that was not the case. Police say the 34-year-old exhibited “signs of mental health issues.” The FBI is investigating.

CAN'T YOU HEAR ME KNOCKING?

A tacky tourist move on Tybee Island + the power of social media = historic preservation. Someone swiped the 155-year-old historic brass doorknob from the observation deck door of the Tybee Lighthouse tower.

“While it may seem like just a doorknob to some, to all those who love Tybee, it’s an important piece of the island’s history,” wrote the Tybee Island Police Department on Facebook.” We’d love to see it back in its rightful home.”

Police officers got busy, reviewing surveillance footage from the Lighthouse, which appears to show a gray-bearded man removing the historic doorknob and putting it in his khaki cargo shorts pocket.

A photo of the gray-bearded man was posted on the Tybee police’s Facebook page, and concerned citizens shared it nearly 3,000 times online in 24 hours, bringing in “an abundance of tips,” according to WSAV-TV. One crucial tip focused on a guy living in Indiana. Tybee detectives worked with the Greene County, Indiana, sheriff’s office and confirmed the Indiana man was the suspect they were seeking.

Sheriff’s deputies paid the Indiana man a visit — and recovered the historic brass doorknob from his home. Less than a week after it was stolen, the doorknob was sent back to Tybee Island. Charges are pending against the gray-bearded man. What’s still unclear: What did he plan to do with Tybee’s stolen brass doorknob?

Next time you visit Tybee Island, check out the historic Lighthouse, with its 155-year-old doorknob that inadvertently took a side trip to Indiana.

UNDER MY THUMB

Two men claiming to be tree trimmers are accused of robbing a Buckhead couple of fancy jewelry worth $100,000-plus.

Here’s how the scam went down: One man knocked on the front door of the couple’s tony home off West Paces Ferry Road. The Buckhead wife answered, and the man said he was about to start tree trimming in the neighbor’s yard and wanted to make a courtesy call. “I’m just going to show you exactly what we’re doing,” the man says, according to Ring surveillance footage obtained by CBS46.com. The Buckhead wife agrees to meet him in the back yard.

Pronto, Dude #2 walks up, knocks a few times on the door, checking multiple entrances, and slides inside the open back door. Then, he snags more than $100k in jewelry. The two men, ages 27 and 23, left in a Chevy Suburban. They were arrested in New Orleans. According to WSB-TV, Atlanta investigators are still looking into whether the two men … had other victims in the Buckhead neighborhood.

GIMME SHELTER

The brother of NBA Portland Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter is allegedly one victim of an armed robbery in downtown Atlanta. The incident happened around 4 a.m. at the parking deck of an apartment complex on Courtland Avenue.

Atlanta police released the 911 call, in which a woman with Kanter’s brother says: “We just got robbed at gunpoint. They took my phone; they took my boyfriend’s chain. They took everything.” She said the robbers had laser pointers on their guns pointed at them.

The woman continued, “I need you to find this person because this is ridiculous; do you know how much taxes I pay to this fucking town? … I do not deserve this … I just had two guns pointed at my head. I feel like a hostage in my own country.”

Hours later, the NBA’s Enes Kanter tweeted surveillance video of the alleged armed robbery. “I’m shocked and disgusted,” Kanter wrote. “My little brother (Ahmet) walking around Atlanta, gets a gun pulled on him, and robbed.

“When will we have some normal gun control measures? This is not okay & not normal. We need to keep demanding peace & change, and stop putting guns in people’s hands.”

JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH

Here’s your common-sense crime tip of the month: Don’t be a dumbass and leave your precious car keys in the ignition with the engine running, while you’re pumping gas. Why? Atlanta police are warning of a summer uptick in slider crimes, where a crook (a.k.a “slider”) slides into your car and snatches your cell phone, purse, or your whole entire car — while you stand there like an idiot with your hand on the gas pump.

Case in point: Atlanta’s Grammy-nominated singer and music producer Akon was recently a victim of slider crime: His luxury SUV was swiped, while Akon pumped gas after midnight at the QuikTrip on Sidney Marcus Boulevard.

“He stated that when his tank was almost full he noticed his white Range Rover ... pulling off while he was still pumping his gas,” Atlanta police said in an incident report.

Akon tells police he watched as his Range Rover made a right onto Sidney Marcus Boulevard and was followed out of the gas station by a dark-colored sedan.

Akon’s cellphone was in his car when it was stolen, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Akon used an app to track his Range Rover to Lawton Street in southwest Atlanta, but it was gone by the time police arrived. The next day, Akon located it in Forest Park, where police recovered his car.

Slider crimes happen all the time, people. Wise up: Turn off your car and grab your keys before pumping gas. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news media — and puts them into her own words."
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The problem? A 34-year-old Atlanta man (who’s an off-duty Delta flight attendant) wearing a helmet. Crew members said the 34-year-old “was exhibiting strange and paranoid behavior,” such as stashing weird items — tennis balls with writing on them, trash, and food — in various places on the plane.

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Several sturdy male passengers rushed up and started wrestling with the 34-year-old, trying to control him. “Keep him down, keep him down!” someone said.

The Delta plane made an emergency landing in Oklahoma City, where the 34-year-old was removed and taken to jail. Police searched the plane — found nothing suspicious — and the flight eventually went on to Atlanta.

One passenger said the man tried to open a cabin door mid-flight, but a Delta spokesman told the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' that was not the case. Police say the 34-year-old exhibited “signs of mental health issues.” The FBI is investigating.

__CAN'T YOU HEAR ME KNOCKING?__

A tacky tourist move on Tybee Island + the power of social media = historic preservation. Someone swiped the 155-year-old historic brass doorknob from the observation deck door of the Tybee Lighthouse tower.

“While it may seem like just a doorknob to some, to all those who love Tybee, it’s an important piece of the island’s history,” wrote the Tybee Island Police Department on Facebook.” We’d love to see it back in its rightful home.”

Police officers got busy, reviewing surveillance footage from the Lighthouse, which appears to show a gray-bearded man removing the historic doorknob and putting it in his khaki cargo shorts pocket.

A photo of the gray-bearded man was posted on the Tybee police’s Facebook page, and concerned citizens shared it nearly 3,000 times online in 24 hours, bringing in “an abundance of tips,” according to WSAV-TV. One crucial tip focused on a guy living in Indiana. Tybee detectives worked with the Greene County, Indiana, sheriff’s office and confirmed the Indiana man was the suspect they were seeking.

Sheriff’s deputies paid the Indiana man a visit — and recovered the historic brass doorknob from his home. Less than a week after it was stolen, the doorknob was sent back to Tybee Island. Charges are pending against the gray-bearded man. What’s still unclear: What did he plan to do with Tybee’s stolen brass doorknob?

Next time you visit Tybee Island, check out the historic Lighthouse, with its 155-year-old doorknob that inadvertently took a side trip to Indiana.

__UNDER MY THUMB__

Two men claiming to be tree trimmers are accused of robbing a Buckhead couple of fancy jewelry worth $100,000-plus.

Here’s how the scam went down: One man knocked on the front door of the couple’s tony home off West Paces Ferry Road. The Buckhead wife answered, and the man said he was about to start tree trimming in the neighbor’s yard and wanted to make a courtesy call. “I’m just going to show you exactly what we’re doing,” the man says, according to Ring surveillance footage obtained by CBS46.com. The Buckhead wife agrees to meet him in the back yard.

Pronto, Dude #2 walks up, knocks a few times on the door, checking multiple entrances, and slides inside the open back door. Then, he snags more than $100k in jewelry. The two men, ages 27 and 23, left in a Chevy Suburban. They were arrested in New Orleans. According to WSB-TV, Atlanta investigators are still looking into whether the two men … had other victims in the Buckhead neighborhood.

__GIMME SHELTER__

The brother of NBA Portland Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter is allegedly one victim of an armed robbery in downtown Atlanta. The incident happened around 4 a.m. at the parking deck of an apartment complex on Courtland Avenue.

Atlanta police released the 911 call, in which a woman with Kanter’s brother says: “We just got robbed at gunpoint. They took my phone; they took my boyfriend’s chain. They took everything.” She said the robbers had laser pointers on their guns pointed at them.

The woman continued, “I need you to find this person because this is ridiculous; do you know how much taxes I pay to this fucking town? … I do not deserve this … I just had two guns pointed at my head. I feel like a hostage in my own country.”

Hours later, the NBA’s Enes Kanter tweeted surveillance video of the alleged armed robbery. “I’m shocked and disgusted,” Kanter wrote. “My little brother (Ahmet) walking around Atlanta, gets a gun pulled on him, and robbed.

“When will we have some normal gun control measures? This is not okay & not normal. We need to keep demanding peace & change, and stop putting guns in people’s hands.”

__JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH__

Here’s your common-sense crime tip of the month: Don’t be a dumbass and leave your precious car keys in the ignition with the engine running, while you’re pumping gas. Why? Atlanta police are warning of a summer uptick in ''slider crimes'', where a crook (a.k.a “slider”) slides into your car and snatches your cell phone, purse, or your whole entire car — while you stand there like an idiot with your hand on the gas pump.

Case in point: Atlanta’s Grammy-nominated singer and music producer Akon was recently a victim of slider crime: His luxury SUV was swiped, while Akon pumped gas after midnight at the QuikTrip on Sidney Marcus Boulevard.

“He stated that when his tank was almost full he noticed his white Range Rover ... pulling off while he was still pumping his gas,” Atlanta police said in an incident report.

Akon tells police he watched as his Range Rover made a right onto Sidney Marcus Boulevard and was followed out of the gas station by a dark-colored sedan.

Akon’s cellphone was in his car when it was stolen, according to the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution''. Akon used an app to track his Range Rover to Lawton Street in southwest Atlanta, but it was gone by the time police arrived. The next day, Akon located it in Forest Park, where police recovered his car.

Slider crimes happen ''all the time'', people. Wise up: Turn off your car and grab your keys before pumping gas. __—CL—__

''The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news media — and puts them into her own words.''"
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  string(7176) " 0721 Blot Flight Fight 01 Reduced  2021-06-29T17:39:56+00:00 0721_blot_flight-fight-01_reduced.jpg     theblotter And other tales of life in the ATL 0721 Blot Flight Fight 01 Reduced   2021-07-01T17:36:00+00:00  THE BLOTTER: 19th nervous  breakdown jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING  2021-07-01T17:36:00+00:00 Passengers on a recent Delta Airlines flight from LA to Atlanta got a hell of a chaotic ride. Midair, the pilot suddenly came on the intercom to say: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. We’d like all strong males to come to the front of the aircraft to handle a problem passenger.”

The problem? A 34-year-old Atlanta man (who’s an off-duty Delta flight attendant) wearing a helmet. Crew members said the 34-year-old “was exhibiting strange and paranoid behavior,” such as stashing weird items — tennis balls with writing on them, trash, and food — in various places on the plane.

Apparently, the 34-year-old allegedly tried to take over the plane’s PA system, threatened to bring the plane down, and attacked two flight attendants.

Several sturdy male passengers rushed up and started wrestling with the 34-year-old, trying to control him. “Keep him down, keep him down!” someone said.

The Delta plane made an emergency landing in Oklahoma City, where the 34-year-old was removed and taken to jail. Police searched the plane — found nothing suspicious — and the flight eventually went on to Atlanta.

One passenger said the man tried to open a cabin door mid-flight, but a Delta spokesman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that was not the case. Police say the 34-year-old exhibited “signs of mental health issues.” The FBI is investigating.

CAN'T YOU HEAR ME KNOCKING?

A tacky tourist move on Tybee Island + the power of social media = historic preservation. Someone swiped the 155-year-old historic brass doorknob from the observation deck door of the Tybee Lighthouse tower.

“While it may seem like just a doorknob to some, to all those who love Tybee, it’s an important piece of the island’s history,” wrote the Tybee Island Police Department on Facebook.” We’d love to see it back in its rightful home.”

Police officers got busy, reviewing surveillance footage from the Lighthouse, which appears to show a gray-bearded man removing the historic doorknob and putting it in his khaki cargo shorts pocket.

A photo of the gray-bearded man was posted on the Tybee police’s Facebook page, and concerned citizens shared it nearly 3,000 times online in 24 hours, bringing in “an abundance of tips,” according to WSAV-TV. One crucial tip focused on a guy living in Indiana. Tybee detectives worked with the Greene County, Indiana, sheriff’s office and confirmed the Indiana man was the suspect they were seeking.

Sheriff’s deputies paid the Indiana man a visit — and recovered the historic brass doorknob from his home. Less than a week after it was stolen, the doorknob was sent back to Tybee Island. Charges are pending against the gray-bearded man. What’s still unclear: What did he plan to do with Tybee’s stolen brass doorknob?

Next time you visit Tybee Island, check out the historic Lighthouse, with its 155-year-old doorknob that inadvertently took a side trip to Indiana.

UNDER MY THUMB

Two men claiming to be tree trimmers are accused of robbing a Buckhead couple of fancy jewelry worth $100,000-plus.

Here’s how the scam went down: One man knocked on the front door of the couple’s tony home off West Paces Ferry Road. The Buckhead wife answered, and the man said he was about to start tree trimming in the neighbor’s yard and wanted to make a courtesy call. “I’m just going to show you exactly what we’re doing,” the man says, according to Ring surveillance footage obtained by CBS46.com. The Buckhead wife agrees to meet him in the back yard.

Pronto, Dude #2 walks up, knocks a few times on the door, checking multiple entrances, and slides inside the open back door. Then, he snags more than $100k in jewelry. The two men, ages 27 and 23, left in a Chevy Suburban. They were arrested in New Orleans. According to WSB-TV, Atlanta investigators are still looking into whether the two men … had other victims in the Buckhead neighborhood.

GIMME SHELTER

The brother of NBA Portland Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter is allegedly one victim of an armed robbery in downtown Atlanta. The incident happened around 4 a.m. at the parking deck of an apartment complex on Courtland Avenue.

Atlanta police released the 911 call, in which a woman with Kanter’s brother says: “We just got robbed at gunpoint. They took my phone; they took my boyfriend’s chain. They took everything.” She said the robbers had laser pointers on their guns pointed at them.

The woman continued, “I need you to find this person because this is ridiculous; do you know how much taxes I pay to this fucking town? … I do not deserve this … I just had two guns pointed at my head. I feel like a hostage in my own country.”

Hours later, the NBA’s Enes Kanter tweeted surveillance video of the alleged armed robbery. “I’m shocked and disgusted,” Kanter wrote. “My little brother (Ahmet) walking around Atlanta, gets a gun pulled on him, and robbed.

“When will we have some normal gun control measures? This is not okay & not normal. We need to keep demanding peace & change, and stop putting guns in people’s hands.”

JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH

Here’s your common-sense crime tip of the month: Don’t be a dumbass and leave your precious car keys in the ignition with the engine running, while you’re pumping gas. Why? Atlanta police are warning of a summer uptick in slider crimes, where a crook (a.k.a “slider”) slides into your car and snatches your cell phone, purse, or your whole entire car — while you stand there like an idiot with your hand on the gas pump.

Case in point: Atlanta’s Grammy-nominated singer and music producer Akon was recently a victim of slider crime: His luxury SUV was swiped, while Akon pumped gas after midnight at the QuikTrip on Sidney Marcus Boulevard.

“He stated that when his tank was almost full he noticed his white Range Rover ... pulling off while he was still pumping his gas,” Atlanta police said in an incident report.

Akon tells police he watched as his Range Rover made a right onto Sidney Marcus Boulevard and was followed out of the gas station by a dark-colored sedan.

Akon’s cellphone was in his car when it was stolen, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Akon used an app to track his Range Rover to Lawton Street in southwest Atlanta, but it was gone by the time police arrived. The next day, Akon located it in Forest Park, where police recovered his car.

Slider crimes happen all the time, people. Wise up: Turn off your car and grab your keys before pumping gas. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news media — and puts them into her own words.    Tray Butler   0,0,16    theblotter                       THE BLOTTER: 19th nervous  breakdown "
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  string(8774) "SLEEPLESS IN VINE CITY: People in the Vine City neighborhood are fed up, furious — and extremely sleep-deprived — over a pop-up tented nightclub that’s allegedly blaring music way, way later than the law allows. It’s called “Dome in the City.”

One man says the nightclub’s booming music didn’t stop till nearly sunrise, and people are complaining as far away as Castleberry Hill  — one mile from the massive, temporary, tented nightclub. “It’s no sleep,” he says. “You can’t sleep, with that type of noise.”

One woman says most of her Saturday night was spent staring at her bedroom ceiling, hoping the noise and shaking would stop. “I have a white noise machine. I have earplugs, and my entire bed was vibrating and my pillow. My dog was barking,” she tells Fox5Atlanta. The same woman says she’s lived in Vine City near Downtown and the stadium for about a decade, and she’s OK with the typical, noisy sounds of city living, crowds, and special events — but this is a whole different noise level.

Neighbors in Vine City say they’ve reached out to the nightclub owners, who did not respond to their noise complaints. The woman said she did get an automatic, slap-in-the-face message: “I immediately got a text that requested I go to their website to reserve a VIP table,” she said, laughing. “Which of course, I was not interested in.”

The man says: “They need to do something in the facility that’s going to cut down, dramatically reduce the loudness and thumping of the music. Because of the type of structure it is — a tent — I really don’t see what they could do to reduce that, other than pack up and leave.“

THE STICKING-IT-TO-THE MAN AWARD: This spring, a suburban Atlanta barbecue restaurant owner gets $1.7 million dollars to settle his federal lawsuit claiming harassment by a Stockbridge city councilman, which started with a dispute over a $60 restaurant tab.

Georgia Championship Barbeque Company owner Arick Whitson says in May 2016, Stockbridge City Councilman Elton Alexander visited his restaurant and asked him if he wanted to “do business with the city.” The restaurant owner replied yes, and Councilman Alexander ordered $60 worth of food.

When the councilman was asked to pay his food tab, he allegedly said, “I thought you wanted to do business with the city” — and left without paying, according to the Associated Press.

The restaurant owner said after the incident, code enforcement officials started visiting his restaurant on a frequent basis. Also, the owner said he had trouble getting a liquor license and a sign permit. Plus, he claims Councilman Alexander falsely accused him of being a sex offender, according to the AP. Whitson filed an ethics complaint in 2017, which he says only ramped up the councilman’s attacks on him.

Councilman Alexander was appointed the “mayor pro tem” (or vice mayor) of Stockbridge in January 2021, after nominating himself. According to the city of Stockbridge’s website, Alexander “began his career as a restaurant manager before moving into the food safety management field.“

The city of Stockbridge’s insurer will pay the $1.7 million dollars. Alexander has denied the claims — and the city of Stockbridge is not admitting wrongdoing.

HIP-HOP HOMECOMING: Atlanta rappers Young Thug and Gunna are putting their money where their mouths are — by posting bond for 30 inmates at Fulton County Jail.

YSL Records released exclusive video of dozens of inmates joyously exiting the jail and reconnecting with their families, including an emotional reunion between a father and son.

Young Thug said, “We just woke up and went to the jail with the lawyer and … got as many people as we [[[could] out.”

“You never know what someone has been through,” Gunna tells WSB-TV Atlanta. “There was people sitting out three or four years and couldn’t get out on a bond. If they did the crime, then they can do the time, then it’s all right. But it’s like, you’re giving them a bond higher than what they [[[allegedly] stole.”

If you’ve never been to Fulton County Jail, the conditions are notoriously overcrowded, unsanitary, and beyond miserable. Fulton County Jail has been the subject of numerous lawsuits and investigations into its reportedly unsafe conditions.

Here’s a hat tip to Young Thug and Gunna. Well done.

EXTREME SICKOS IN FLOYD COUNTY, GA: Gruesome details are emerging about an alleged neo-Nazi terror cell that met near Rome, Georgia. They are reportedly members of a white supremacist group called the Base, which aims for the violent overthrow of Western society.

Two men in their early 20s — one from Austin, Texas, the other from Alabama — are charged with animal cruelty related to the alleged theft and ritual beheading of a ram or goat on Halloween 2019 near Rome, Georgia, according to an indictment recently handed down by a grand jury in spring 2021.

The two men join six other men believed to have come to an isolated property, where an undercover officer says they shot guns, took drugs, and “planned for a race war as part of the white supremacist group known as the Base,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The goat or ram was allegedly swiped from a nearby property and killed in a ritual sacrifice. An assistant district attorney said the animal was killed in a “Norse-pagan ritual” in which the participants drank its blood and posed for photos with its severed head.

Three Georgia men — ages 26, 22, and 20 — were arrested as part of the alleged conspiracy. Prosecutors say the 22-year-old’s home near Rome was used as the locale for the meeting. The three men are facing animal cruelty charges, along with charges of conspiracy to commit arson, home invasion, and murder.

Authorities describe the men as a group that planned to kill a Bartow County couple they suspected of being anti-fascist activists. Group members were arrested before they could carry out the alleged murder plot, as part of an undercover investigation.

The AJC reports: “The Base was founded in 2018 as a far-right, paramilitary organization that sought the creation of a white ethno-state. An investigation by The Guardian newspaper in 2020 revealed the Base’s leader to be Rinaldo Nazzaro, an American expatriate living in St. Petersburg, Russia.”

ASSHOLE RAISING CANE: A Georgia Purple Heart veteran wants her stolen — and very unique — walking cane returned, no questions asked. Retired Army Sergeant Kendra Lou Pieper stopped at a Chevron in Newborn, Georgia, to fill up her car with gas. Then, she spotted an acquaintance and they chatted for a few minutes. Afterward, she drove away in her pickup truck. About 25 minutes later, she realized she’d left her beloved walking cane leaning against the gas pump.

Piper explained the incident on Facebook: “I laid my cane against the pump while I was pumping gas, and drove off without it…. Dustin (her fiancé) went back to get it. Needless to say, they reviewed the security cameras, and someone in a white Suburban pulled up after me and took it. And the camera did not pick up their tags.”

Here’s why Pieper’s cane is one-of-a-kind: She lost part of her left leg (from the knee down) in Afghanistan when an IED embedded in a building blew up. The AJC reports, “The wooden cane is adorned not just with Pieper’s name and rank, but several of the medals she earned for her service, including her Purple Heart, combat action badge, and crossed pistols insignia.” The cane handle is a carved eagle’s head.

Pieper wrote about her stolen cane on Facebook, and the response was amazing. Her post has been shared more than 650,000 times. The New York Post even wrote a story about Pieper’s cane plight. The Newton County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation.

“Everyone understood that (the cane) wasn’t worth money, you can’t sell it,” Pieper told the AJC. “But you know, the meaning that’s carried behind it — everybody seemed to understand that it told my story without me having to say anything.”

It gets worse: Someone created a fake Instagram account, posing as Pieper and using her info — and asked people for money donations to buy her a new walking cane. Pieper is disgusted by that move: “I have not, and will not ever ask for money to replace it. It was very sentimental to me,” she wrote.

So far, the war veteran’s walking cane hasn’t been returned. C’mon, asshole cane thief, return it to Sgt. Pieper right now.  —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
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  string(8840) "S__LEEPLESS IN VINE CITY:__ People in the Vine City neighborhood are fed up, furious — and extremely sleep-deprived — over a pop-up tented nightclub that’s allegedly blaring music way, way later than the law allows. It’s called “Dome in the City.”

One man says the nightclub’s booming music didn’t stop till nearly sunrise, and people are complaining as far away as Castleberry Hill  — ''one mile'' from the massive, temporary, tented nightclub. “It’s no sleep,” he says. “You can’t sleep, with that type of noise.”

One woman says most of her Saturday night was spent staring at her bedroom ceiling, hoping the noise and shaking would stop. “I have a white noise machine. I have earplugs, and my entire bed was vibrating and my pillow. My dog was barking,” she tells Fox5Atlanta. The same woman says she’s lived in Vine City near Downtown and the stadium for about a decade, and she’s OK with the typical, noisy sounds of city living, crowds, and special events — but this is a whole different noise level.

Neighbors in Vine City say they’ve reached out to the nightclub owners, who did not respond to their noise complaints. The woman said she ''did'' get an automatic, slap-in-the-face message: “I immediately got a text that requested I go to their website to reserve a VIP table,” she said, laughing. “Which of course, I was not interested in.”

The man says: “They need to do something in the facility that’s going to cut down, dramatically reduce the loudness and thumping of the music. Because of the type of structure it is — a tent — I really don’t see what they could do to reduce that, other than pack up and leave.“

__THE STICKING-IT-TO-THE MAN AWARD:__ This spring, a suburban Atlanta barbecue restaurant owner gets $1.7 million dollars to settle his federal lawsuit claiming harassment by a Stockbridge city councilman, which started with a dispute over a $60 restaurant tab.

Georgia Championship Barbeque Company owner Arick Whitson says in May 2016, Stockbridge City Councilman Elton Alexander visited his restaurant and asked him if he wanted to “do business with the city.” The restaurant owner replied yes, and Councilman Alexander ordered $60 worth of food.

When the councilman was asked to pay his food tab, he allegedly said, “I thought you wanted to do business with the city” — and left without paying, according to the Associated Press.

The restaurant owner said after the incident, code enforcement officials started visiting his restaurant on a frequent basis. Also, the owner said he had trouble getting a liquor license and a sign permit. Plus, he claims Councilman Alexander falsely accused him of being a sex offender, according to the AP. Whitson filed an ethics complaint in 2017, which he says only ramped up the councilman’s attacks on him.

Councilman Alexander was appointed the “mayor pro tem” (or vice mayor) of Stockbridge in January 2021, after nominating himself. According to the city of Stockbridge’s website, Alexander “began his career as a restaurant manager before moving into the food safety management field.“

The city of Stockbridge’s insurer will pay the $1.7 million dollars. Alexander has denied the claims — and the city of Stockbridge is not admitting wrongdoing.

__HIP-HOP HOMECOMING:__ Atlanta rappers Young Thug and Gunna are putting their money where their mouths are — by posting bond for 30 inmates at Fulton County Jail.

YSL Records released exclusive video of dozens of inmates joyously exiting the jail and reconnecting with their families, including an emotional reunion between a father and son.

Young Thug said, “We just woke up and went to the jail with the lawyer and … got as many people as we [[[[could] out.”

“You never know what someone has been through,” Gunna tells WSB-TV Atlanta. “There was people sitting out three or four years and couldn’t get out on a bond. If they did the crime, then they can do the time, then it’s all right. But it’s like, you’re giving them a bond higher than what they [[[[allegedly] stole.”

If you’ve never been to Fulton County Jail, the conditions are notoriously overcrowded, unsanitary, and beyond miserable. Fulton County Jail has been the subject of numerous lawsuits and investigations into its reportedly unsafe conditions.

Here’s a hat tip to Young Thug and Gunna. Well done.

__EXTREME SICKOS IN FLOYD COUNTY, GA:__ Gruesome details are emerging about an alleged neo-Nazi terror cell that met near Rome, Georgia. They are reportedly members of a white supremacist group called the Base, which aims for the violent overthrow of Western society.

Two men in their early 20s — one from Austin, Texas, the other from Alabama — are charged with animal cruelty related to the alleged theft and ritual beheading of a ram or goat on Halloween 2019 near Rome, Georgia, according to an indictment recently handed down by a grand jury in spring 2021.

The two men join six other men believed to have come to an isolated property, where an undercover officer says they shot guns, took drugs, and “planned for a race war as part of the white supremacist group known as the Base,” according to the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution''. The goat or ram was allegedly swiped from a nearby property and killed in a ritual sacrifice. An assistant district attorney said the animal was killed in a “Norse-pagan ritual” in which the participants drank its blood and posed for photos with its severed head.

Three Georgia men — ages 26, 22, and 20 — were arrested as part of the alleged conspiracy. Prosecutors say the 22-year-old’s home near Rome was used as the locale for the meeting. The three men are facing animal cruelty charges, along with charges of conspiracy to commit arson, home invasion, and murder.

Authorities describe the men as a group that planned to kill a Bartow County couple they suspected of being anti-fascist activists. Group members were arrested before they could carry out the alleged murder plot, as part of an undercover investigation.

The ''AJC'' reports: “The Base was founded in 2018 as a far-right, paramilitary organization that sought the creation of a white ethno-state. An investigation by ''The Guardian'' newspaper in 2020 revealed the Base’s leader to be Rinaldo Nazzaro, an American expatriate living in St. Petersburg, Russia.”

__ASSHOLE RAISING CANE:__ A Georgia Purple Heart veteran wants her stolen — and very unique — walking cane returned, no questions asked. Retired Army Sergeant Kendra Lou Pieper stopped at a Chevron in Newborn, Georgia, to fill up her car with gas. Then, she spotted an acquaintance and they chatted for a few minutes. Afterward, she drove away in her pickup truck. About 25 minutes later, she realized she’d left her beloved walking cane leaning against the gas pump.

Piper explained the incident on Facebook: “I laid my cane against the pump while I was pumping gas, and drove off without it…. Dustin (her fiancé) went back to get it. Needless to say, they reviewed the security cameras, and someone in a white Suburban pulled up after me and took it. And the camera did not pick up their tags.”

Here’s why Pieper’s cane is one-of-a-kind: She lost part of her left leg (from the knee down) in Afghanistan when an IED embedded in a building blew up. The ''AJ''C reports, “The wooden cane is adorned not just with Pieper’s name and rank, but several of the medals she earned for her service, including her Purple Heart, combat action badge, and crossed pistols insignia.” The cane handle is a carved eagle’s head.

Pieper wrote about her stolen cane on Facebook, and the response was amazing. Her post has been shared more than 650,000 times. ''The New York Post'' even wrote a story about Pieper’s cane plight. The Newton County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation.

“Everyone understood that (the cane) wasn’t worth money, you can’t sell it,” Pieper told the ''AJC''. “But you know, the meaning that’s carried behind it — everybody seemed to understand that it told my story without me having to say anything.”

It gets worse: Someone created a fake Instagram account, posing as Pieper and using her info — and asked people for money donations to buy her a new walking cane. Pieper is disgusted by that move: “I have not, and will not ever ask for money to replace it. It was very sentimental to me,” she wrote.

So far, the war veteran’s walking cane hasn’t been returned. C’mon, asshole cane thief, return it to Sgt. Pieper ''right now''.  __—CL—__

''The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.''"
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  string(9205) " 0621 Blotter Jailbird Final 01  2021-06-02T22:29:00+00:00 0621-blotter-jailbird final-01.jpg     theblotter And other tales of life in the ATL 0621 Blotter Jailbird Final 01   2021-06-02T22:26:17+00:00  THE BLOTTER: - June 2021 jim.harris Jim Harris Lauren Keating lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2021-06-02T22:26:17+00:00 SLEEPLESS IN VINE CITY: People in the Vine City neighborhood are fed up, furious — and extremely sleep-deprived — over a pop-up tented nightclub that’s allegedly blaring music way, way later than the law allows. It’s called “Dome in the City.”

One man says the nightclub’s booming music didn’t stop till nearly sunrise, and people are complaining as far away as Castleberry Hill  — one mile from the massive, temporary, tented nightclub. “It’s no sleep,” he says. “You can’t sleep, with that type of noise.”

One woman says most of her Saturday night was spent staring at her bedroom ceiling, hoping the noise and shaking would stop. “I have a white noise machine. I have earplugs, and my entire bed was vibrating and my pillow. My dog was barking,” she tells Fox5Atlanta. The same woman says she’s lived in Vine City near Downtown and the stadium for about a decade, and she’s OK with the typical, noisy sounds of city living, crowds, and special events — but this is a whole different noise level.

Neighbors in Vine City say they’ve reached out to the nightclub owners, who did not respond to their noise complaints. The woman said she did get an automatic, slap-in-the-face message: “I immediately got a text that requested I go to their website to reserve a VIP table,” she said, laughing. “Which of course, I was not interested in.”

The man says: “They need to do something in the facility that’s going to cut down, dramatically reduce the loudness and thumping of the music. Because of the type of structure it is — a tent — I really don’t see what they could do to reduce that, other than pack up and leave.“

THE STICKING-IT-TO-THE MAN AWARD: This spring, a suburban Atlanta barbecue restaurant owner gets $1.7 million dollars to settle his federal lawsuit claiming harassment by a Stockbridge city councilman, which started with a dispute over a $60 restaurant tab.

Georgia Championship Barbeque Company owner Arick Whitson says in May 2016, Stockbridge City Councilman Elton Alexander visited his restaurant and asked him if he wanted to “do business with the city.” The restaurant owner replied yes, and Councilman Alexander ordered $60 worth of food.

When the councilman was asked to pay his food tab, he allegedly said, “I thought you wanted to do business with the city” — and left without paying, according to the Associated Press.

The restaurant owner said after the incident, code enforcement officials started visiting his restaurant on a frequent basis. Also, the owner said he had trouble getting a liquor license and a sign permit. Plus, he claims Councilman Alexander falsely accused him of being a sex offender, according to the AP. Whitson filed an ethics complaint in 2017, which he says only ramped up the councilman’s attacks on him.

Councilman Alexander was appointed the “mayor pro tem” (or vice mayor) of Stockbridge in January 2021, after nominating himself. According to the city of Stockbridge’s website, Alexander “began his career as a restaurant manager before moving into the food safety management field.“

The city of Stockbridge’s insurer will pay the $1.7 million dollars. Alexander has denied the claims — and the city of Stockbridge is not admitting wrongdoing.

HIP-HOP HOMECOMING: Atlanta rappers Young Thug and Gunna are putting their money where their mouths are — by posting bond for 30 inmates at Fulton County Jail.

YSL Records released exclusive video of dozens of inmates joyously exiting the jail and reconnecting with their families, including an emotional reunion between a father and son.

Young Thug said, “We just woke up and went to the jail with the lawyer and … got as many people as we [[[could] out.”

“You never know what someone has been through,” Gunna tells WSB-TV Atlanta. “There was people sitting out three or four years and couldn’t get out on a bond. If they did the crime, then they can do the time, then it’s all right. But it’s like, you’re giving them a bond higher than what they [[[allegedly] stole.”

If you’ve never been to Fulton County Jail, the conditions are notoriously overcrowded, unsanitary, and beyond miserable. Fulton County Jail has been the subject of numerous lawsuits and investigations into its reportedly unsafe conditions.

Here’s a hat tip to Young Thug and Gunna. Well done.

EXTREME SICKOS IN FLOYD COUNTY, GA: Gruesome details are emerging about an alleged neo-Nazi terror cell that met near Rome, Georgia. They are reportedly members of a white supremacist group called the Base, which aims for the violent overthrow of Western society.

Two men in their early 20s — one from Austin, Texas, the other from Alabama — are charged with animal cruelty related to the alleged theft and ritual beheading of a ram or goat on Halloween 2019 near Rome, Georgia, according to an indictment recently handed down by a grand jury in spring 2021.

The two men join six other men believed to have come to an isolated property, where an undercover officer says they shot guns, took drugs, and “planned for a race war as part of the white supremacist group known as the Base,” according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The goat or ram was allegedly swiped from a nearby property and killed in a ritual sacrifice. An assistant district attorney said the animal was killed in a “Norse-pagan ritual” in which the participants drank its blood and posed for photos with its severed head.

Three Georgia men — ages 26, 22, and 20 — were arrested as part of the alleged conspiracy. Prosecutors say the 22-year-old’s home near Rome was used as the locale for the meeting. The three men are facing animal cruelty charges, along with charges of conspiracy to commit arson, home invasion, and murder.

Authorities describe the men as a group that planned to kill a Bartow County couple they suspected of being anti-fascist activists. Group members were arrested before they could carry out the alleged murder plot, as part of an undercover investigation.

The AJC reports: “The Base was founded in 2018 as a far-right, paramilitary organization that sought the creation of a white ethno-state. An investigation by The Guardian newspaper in 2020 revealed the Base’s leader to be Rinaldo Nazzaro, an American expatriate living in St. Petersburg, Russia.”

ASSHOLE RAISING CANE: A Georgia Purple Heart veteran wants her stolen — and very unique — walking cane returned, no questions asked. Retired Army Sergeant Kendra Lou Pieper stopped at a Chevron in Newborn, Georgia, to fill up her car with gas. Then, she spotted an acquaintance and they chatted for a few minutes. Afterward, she drove away in her pickup truck. About 25 minutes later, she realized she’d left her beloved walking cane leaning against the gas pump.

Piper explained the incident on Facebook: “I laid my cane against the pump while I was pumping gas, and drove off without it…. Dustin (her fiancé) went back to get it. Needless to say, they reviewed the security cameras, and someone in a white Suburban pulled up after me and took it. And the camera did not pick up their tags.”

Here’s why Pieper’s cane is one-of-a-kind: She lost part of her left leg (from the knee down) in Afghanistan when an IED embedded in a building blew up. The AJC reports, “The wooden cane is adorned not just with Pieper’s name and rank, but several of the medals she earned for her service, including her Purple Heart, combat action badge, and crossed pistols insignia.” The cane handle is a carved eagle’s head.

Pieper wrote about her stolen cane on Facebook, and the response was amazing. Her post has been shared more than 650,000 times. The New York Post even wrote a story about Pieper’s cane plight. The Newton County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation.

“Everyone understood that (the cane) wasn’t worth money, you can’t sell it,” Pieper told the AJC. “But you know, the meaning that’s carried behind it — everybody seemed to understand that it told my story without me having to say anything.”

It gets worse: Someone created a fake Instagram account, posing as Pieper and using her info — and asked people for money donations to buy her a new walking cane. Pieper is disgusted by that move: “I have not, and will not ever ask for money to replace it. It was very sentimental to me,” she wrote.

So far, the war veteran’s walking cane hasn’t been returned. C’mon, asshole cane thief, return it to Sgt. Pieper right now.  —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    Illustration by Tray Butler   0,0,10    theblotter                       THE BLOTTER: - June 2021 "
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  string(8521) "An epic house party collapsed near the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Georgia — when about 500 people crowded into a modest two-story townhome.

Cops estimate more than 500 people were attending the house party, when the flooring of the townhome suddenly collapsed from far too many people standing on it. Twenty-five people sustained minor injuries ranging from scratches and bruises to a possible broken arm. No one was hospitalized, though.

Fire trucks had a rough time getting to the scene due to the “massive amounts of vehicles and people blocking the street,” according to a news release from the Athens Clark County Fire Department. “When our crews finally made it into the home, they found a two-story home over a high crawl space. The majority of the first floor had collapsed into the crawl space due to dozens of people overcrowding the space while having a party.”

The party hostess — described by her friends as a college senior — now has “virtually nothing left” after her townhome on Magnolia Bluff Drive was decimated by her 500-person bash. Code enforcement was called in to determine whether or not her townhome should be condemned.

“We are grateful that this unexpected event didn’t turn out any worse than it did,” Athens-Clarke County Fire Capt. Nate Moss told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “These folks should consider themselves fortunate.”

We say, give it two weeks and see about those COVID numbers.

FORNICATION FIGHT: Near Athens, Georgia, a 30-year-old woman was arguing with her boyfriend about their relationship, which she believes is based too much on sex. She left her boyfriend’s home and he followed her to the QuikTrip at the Oconee Connector. The boyfriend admitted that he reached into his girlfriend’s car at QuikTrip and grabbed her keys.

A sheriff’s deputy showed up to resolve their sex-based argument. The boyfriend claimed that his girlfriend had stolen money from him — though we don’t know if he’s talking about a nickel or $500 — no amount listed.

The boyfriend went to jail for swiping his gal’s keys. Two days later, he was released, and returned to his home in Watkinsville, Georgia.

Apparently, post-fight makeup sex was not on the agenda. Someone had entered his bathroom window and stolen his laptop. The boyfriend believes the burglar was his now ex-girlfriend.

CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER: About 110 motorcyclists and several truckers with the “Sons of Confederate Veterans” rode through Stone Mountain Park on a Saturday in April — even though they’d been denied a permit to gather there. The Georgia chapter of the group had petitioned to host a Confederate Memorial Day event in the park, as they’ve done for nearly two decades. This year, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association denied the group’s permit, and the association’s spokesperson explained why: “With the volatile nature of events in the immediate past and ongoing today, there is a clear and present danger to members of the [[[[[[[[[[[[[[[Sons of Confederate Veterans], potential counter-protesters, park employees, and guests.”

Here’s the truly fucked-up part: “The group had a police escort, though they were not Stone Mountain Police, and it’s unclear which jurisdiction police came from,” reports WSB-TV.

We say, those police officers should be punished. Promptly. It’s called: breaking the law.

NO LAUGHING MATTER: Comedian Erik Andre claims he was racially profiled at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. What’s confusing: Who did the alleged racial profiling? Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms firmly says: It wasn’t City of Atlanta Police officers.

Andre initially insisted on Twitter that two plainclothes Atlanta police detectives attempted to stop and search him at the T gates. “They stopped me on the way down to the bridge of the plane for a ‘random’ search and asked (if) they could search me for drugs. I told them no. Be careful.” Andre also tweeted: “At that moment, I was the only POC (person of color) on line. Keisha Bottoms, I know this isn’t the PD you want representing in your airports. #racism #racialprofiling       # jimcrow #racistwarondrugs.”

The Atlanta Police Department says it was not involved in the Erik Andre interaction at Hartsfield, according to the AJC. The APD made a point of noting that they don’t randomly search travelers without evidence/indication of criminal activity.

Also, Hartsfield Airport is located in Clayton County — not the City of Atlanta. Multiple law enforcement agencies simultaneously work there.

Within hours, Erik Andre dropped his Twitter attack on Atlanta police — instead, redirecting his tweet-questions and allegations to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. The DEA also denied being involved in the Andre incident.

A short time later, the AJC reported: “Hours later, the officers involved were revealed to be part of the Clayton County Police Department’s drug task force .… Clayton County police offered a counter-narrative statement to Andre’s claims, saying the comedian was never detained, handcuffed, or searched. “Our preliminary findings have revealed that Mr. Andre was not racially profiled. Our inquiries have revealed that Mr. Andre was cordial, personable, and pleasant to speak with.”

The comedian Andre ripped them on Twitter, responding: “I did NOT volunteer to a search, and I did not volunteer to talk. You guys flashed your badge and detained me with no probable cause except for racism. This is JIM CROW RACISM. I DID NOT VOLUNTEER TO A SEARCH. YOU ARE HARASSING ME. THIS IS RACISM!”

FIBBING GEORGIA POLITICIAN, REDUX: Georgia’s flamboyant freshman Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene decided the night the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict was announced … was a good night to tweet lies about the nation’s capitol city of Washington, DC.

She dropped this gem on Twitter on April 20: “DC is completely dead tonight. People stayed in and were scared to go out because of fear of riots. Police are everywhere and have riot gear. #BLM is the strongest terrorist threat in our country.” Worth noting: She tweeted this at 9:47 p.m., roughly five hours after the guilty verdict was announced.

Except Rep. Greene was flat wrong. As Washington Post columnist Philip Bump notes, “… this wasn’t true. It was, by all accounts, a normal evening that followed an obviously tense day. Had that jury in Minneapolis not found Chauvin guilty, there probably would have been protests, but those protests would by now have been a function of an outcry that spilled past the boundaries of BLM organizing.”

And oh yeah, there still IS increased police presence on Capitol Hill. “But that’s not due to BLM,” Bump says. “It’s because of the threat of right-wing violence like that manifested on Jan. 6 after Greene and others insisted falsely that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen.”

Worth noting: Spotted among the rioting mob on January 6 inside the nation’s capitol: A close buddy and political ally of Rep. Taylor-Greene, a dude named Anthony Aguero. He’s a conservative live-streamer whom Greene once described as “amazing.” They attended a pro-Trump rally together in November, after he lost the election.

IT’S A GAS, GAS, GAS: A 48-year-old woman rakes in $4,000+ a month by farting online. Seriously. The mother of two children has been “flatulence camming” for more than 20 years. Apparently, it pays wayyyyy more than her previous work as a travel agent. She’s been passing gas online since 1999. She even eats foods designed to increase her farting productivity, including Mexican entrees, avocados, and asparagus. “One of my favorites is coleslaw and baked beans mixed together,” she says.

The videos are recorded only when no one else is at her home in South Carolina. Her husband is not into farting at all, she says. Apparently, she has two types of clients: White-collar professionals who want her to say their names in videos as she passes gas. And guys in their 20s who just view her online videos. All for a handsome price, of course.

Is there anything illegal about her endeavor? Nope. Any crime committed or police involved? Again, no and no. We just thought it so bizarre it’s worth sharing in the Blotter.

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
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  string(8558) "An epic house party collapsed near the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Georgia — when about 500 people crowded into a modest two-story townhome.

Cops estimate more than 500 people were attending the house party, when the flooring of the townhome suddenly collapsed from far too many people standing on it. Twenty-five people sustained minor injuries ranging from scratches and bruises to a possible broken arm. No one was hospitalized, though.

Fire trucks had a rough time getting to the scene due to the “massive amounts of vehicles and people blocking the street,” according to a news release from the Athens Clark County Fire Department. “When our crews finally made it into the home, they found a two-story home over a high crawl space. The majority of the first floor had collapsed into the crawl space due to dozens of people overcrowding the space while having a party.”

The party hostess — described by her friends as a college senior — now has “virtually nothing left” after her townhome on Magnolia Bluff Drive was decimated by her 500-person bash. Code enforcement was called in to determine whether or not her townhome should be condemned.

“We are grateful that this unexpected event didn’t turn out any worse than it did,” Athens-Clarke County Fire Capt. Nate Moss told the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution.'' “These folks should consider themselves fortunate.”

We say, give it two weeks and see about those COVID numbers.

__FORNICATION FIGHT:__ Near Athens, Georgia, a 30-year-old woman was arguing with her boyfriend about their relationship, which she believes is based too much on sex. She left her boyfriend’s home and he followed her to the QuikTrip at the Oconee Connector. The boyfriend admitted that he reached into his girlfriend’s car at QuikTrip and grabbed her keys.

A sheriff’s deputy showed up to resolve their sex-based argument. The boyfriend claimed that his girlfriend had stolen money from him — though we don’t know if he’s talking about a nickel or $500 — no amount listed.

The boyfriend went to jail for swiping his gal’s keys. Two days later, he was released, and returned to his home in Watkinsville, Georgia.

Apparently, post-fight makeup sex was not on the agenda. Someone had entered his bathroom window and stolen his laptop. The boyfriend believes the burglar was his now ex-girlfriend.

__CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER:__ About 110 motorcyclists and several truckers with the “Sons of Confederate Veterans” rode through Stone Mountain Park on a Saturday in April — even though they’d been denied a permit to gather there. The Georgia chapter of the group had petitioned to host a Confederate Memorial Day event in the park, as they’ve done for nearly two decades. This year, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association denied the group’s permit, and the association’s spokesperson explained why: “With the volatile nature of events in the immediate past and ongoing today, there is a clear and present danger to members of the [[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[Sons of Confederate Veterans], potential counter-protesters, park employees, and guests.”

Here’s the truly fucked-up part: “The group had a police escort, though they were not Stone Mountain Police, and it’s unclear which jurisdiction police came from,” reports WSB-TV.

We say, those police officers should be punished. Promptly. It’s called: breaking the law.

__NO LAUGHING MATTER:__ Comedian Erik Andre claims he was racially profiled at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. What’s confusing: Who did the alleged racial profiling? Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms firmly says: It wasn’t City of Atlanta Police officers.

Andre initially insisted on Twitter that two plainclothes Atlanta police detectives attempted to stop and search him at the T gates. “They stopped me on the way down to the bridge of the plane for a ‘random’ search and asked (if) they could search me for drugs. I told them no. Be careful.” Andre also tweeted: “At that moment, I was the only POC (person of color) on line. Keisha Bottoms, I know this isn’t the PD you want representing in your airports. #racism #racialprofiling       # jimcrow #racistwarondrugs.”

The Atlanta Police Department says it was not involved in the Erik Andre interaction at Hartsfield, according to the ''AJC''. The APD made a point of noting that they don’t randomly search travelers without evidence/indication of criminal activity.

Also, Hartsfield Airport is located in Clayton County — not the City of Atlanta. Multiple law enforcement agencies simultaneously work there.

Within hours, Erik Andre dropped his Twitter attack on Atlanta police — instead, redirecting his tweet-questions and allegations to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. The DEA also denied being involved in the Andre incident.

A short time later, the AJC reported: “Hours later, the officers involved were revealed to be part of the Clayton County Police Department’s drug task force .… Clayton County police offered a counter-narrative statement to Andre’s claims, saying the comedian was never detained, handcuffed, or searched. “Our preliminary findings have revealed that Mr. Andre was not racially profiled. Our inquiries have revealed that Mr. Andre was cordial, personable, and pleasant to speak with.”

The comedian Andre ripped them on Twitter, responding: “I did NOT volunteer to a search, and I did not volunteer to talk. You guys flashed your badge and detained me with no probable cause except for racism. This is JIM CROW RACISM. I DID NOT VOLUNTEER TO A SEARCH. YOU ARE HARASSING ME. THIS IS RACISM!”

__FIBBING GEORGIA POLITICIAN, REDUX:__ Georgia’s flamboyant freshman Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene decided the night the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict was announced … was a good night to tweet lies about the nation’s capitol city of Washington, DC.

She dropped this gem on Twitter on April 20: “DC is completely dead tonight. People stayed in and were scared to go out because of fear of riots. Police are everywhere and have riot gear. #BLM is the strongest terrorist threat in our country.” Worth noting: She tweeted this at 9:47 p.m., roughly five hours after the guilty verdict was announced.

Except Rep. Greene was flat wrong. As ''Washington Post'' columnist Philip Bump notes, “… this wasn’t true. It was, by all accounts, a normal evening that followed an obviously tense day. Had that jury in Minneapolis not found Chauvin guilty, there probably would have been protests, but those protests would by now have been a function of an outcry that spilled past the boundaries of BLM organizing.”

And oh yeah, there still IS increased police presence on Capitol Hill. “But that’s not due to BLM,” Bump says. “It’s because of the threat of right-wing violence like that manifested on Jan. 6 after Greene and others insisted falsely that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen.”

Worth noting: Spotted among the rioting mob on January 6 inside the nation’s capitol: A close buddy and political ally of Rep. Taylor-Greene, a dude named Anthony Aguero. He’s a conservative live-streamer whom Greene once described as “amazing.” They attended a pro-Trump rally together in November, after he lost the election.

__IT’S A GAS, GAS, GAS:__ A 48-year-old woman rakes in $4,000+ a month by farting online. Seriously. The mother of two children has been “flatulence camming” for more than 20 years. Apparently, it pays wayyyyy more than her previous work as a travel agent. She’s been passing gas online since 1999. She even eats foods designed to increase her farting productivity, including Mexican entrees, avocados, and asparagus. “One of my favorites is coleslaw and baked beans mixed together,” she says.

The videos are recorded only when no one else is at her home in South Carolina. Her husband is not into farting at all, she says. Apparently, she has two types of clients: White-collar professionals who want her to say their names in videos as she passes gas. And guys in their 20s who just view her online videos. All for a handsome price, of course.

Is there anything illegal about her endeavor? Nope. Any crime committed or police involved? Again, no and no. We just thought it so bizarre it’s worth sharing in the Blotter.

''The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.''"
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  string(9335) " 0521blotter Floor Collapse Reduced  2021-05-04T11:58:37+00:00 0521blotter-floor-collapse_reduced.jpg    What a bunch of liberial "slanted" crap in these stories CL truly sucks!Keep fighting to ruin America you POS America is already ruined because of racist idiots like yourself...stfu and go lie about something. I truly hate you people for making this country horrible. You and the fat tan man can eat several dicks. blotter And other tales of life in the ATL 0521blotter Floor Collapse Reduced   2021-05-04T11:40:07+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Party ends with a bang (the whole shack shimmied!) jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING  lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2021-05-04T11:40:07+00:00 An epic house party collapsed near the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Georgia — when about 500 people crowded into a modest two-story townhome.

Cops estimate more than 500 people were attending the house party, when the flooring of the townhome suddenly collapsed from far too many people standing on it. Twenty-five people sustained minor injuries ranging from scratches and bruises to a possible broken arm. No one was hospitalized, though.

Fire trucks had a rough time getting to the scene due to the “massive amounts of vehicles and people blocking the street,” according to a news release from the Athens Clark County Fire Department. “When our crews finally made it into the home, they found a two-story home over a high crawl space. The majority of the first floor had collapsed into the crawl space due to dozens of people overcrowding the space while having a party.”

The party hostess — described by her friends as a college senior — now has “virtually nothing left” after her townhome on Magnolia Bluff Drive was decimated by her 500-person bash. Code enforcement was called in to determine whether or not her townhome should be condemned.

“We are grateful that this unexpected event didn’t turn out any worse than it did,” Athens-Clarke County Fire Capt. Nate Moss told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “These folks should consider themselves fortunate.”

We say, give it two weeks and see about those COVID numbers.

FORNICATION FIGHT: Near Athens, Georgia, a 30-year-old woman was arguing with her boyfriend about their relationship, which she believes is based too much on sex. She left her boyfriend’s home and he followed her to the QuikTrip at the Oconee Connector. The boyfriend admitted that he reached into his girlfriend’s car at QuikTrip and grabbed her keys.

A sheriff’s deputy showed up to resolve their sex-based argument. The boyfriend claimed that his girlfriend had stolen money from him — though we don’t know if he’s talking about a nickel or $500 — no amount listed.

The boyfriend went to jail for swiping his gal’s keys. Two days later, he was released, and returned to his home in Watkinsville, Georgia.

Apparently, post-fight makeup sex was not on the agenda. Someone had entered his bathroom window and stolen his laptop. The boyfriend believes the burglar was his now ex-girlfriend.

CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER: About 110 motorcyclists and several truckers with the “Sons of Confederate Veterans” rode through Stone Mountain Park on a Saturday in April — even though they’d been denied a permit to gather there. The Georgia chapter of the group had petitioned to host a Confederate Memorial Day event in the park, as they’ve done for nearly two decades. This year, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association denied the group’s permit, and the association’s spokesperson explained why: “With the volatile nature of events in the immediate past and ongoing today, there is a clear and present danger to members of the [[[[[[[[[[[[[[[Sons of Confederate Veterans], potential counter-protesters, park employees, and guests.”

Here’s the truly fucked-up part: “The group had a police escort, though they were not Stone Mountain Police, and it’s unclear which jurisdiction police came from,” reports WSB-TV.

We say, those police officers should be punished. Promptly. It’s called: breaking the law.

NO LAUGHING MATTER: Comedian Erik Andre claims he was racially profiled at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. What’s confusing: Who did the alleged racial profiling? Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms firmly says: It wasn’t City of Atlanta Police officers.

Andre initially insisted on Twitter that two plainclothes Atlanta police detectives attempted to stop and search him at the T gates. “They stopped me on the way down to the bridge of the plane for a ‘random’ search and asked (if) they could search me for drugs. I told them no. Be careful.” Andre also tweeted: “At that moment, I was the only POC (person of color) on line. Keisha Bottoms, I know this isn’t the PD you want representing in your airports. #racism #racialprofiling       # jimcrow #racistwarondrugs.”

The Atlanta Police Department says it was not involved in the Erik Andre interaction at Hartsfield, according to the AJC. The APD made a point of noting that they don’t randomly search travelers without evidence/indication of criminal activity.

Also, Hartsfield Airport is located in Clayton County — not the City of Atlanta. Multiple law enforcement agencies simultaneously work there.

Within hours, Erik Andre dropped his Twitter attack on Atlanta police — instead, redirecting his tweet-questions and allegations to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. The DEA also denied being involved in the Andre incident.

A short time later, the AJC reported: “Hours later, the officers involved were revealed to be part of the Clayton County Police Department’s drug task force .… Clayton County police offered a counter-narrative statement to Andre’s claims, saying the comedian was never detained, handcuffed, or searched. “Our preliminary findings have revealed that Mr. Andre was not racially profiled. Our inquiries have revealed that Mr. Andre was cordial, personable, and pleasant to speak with.”

The comedian Andre ripped them on Twitter, responding: “I did NOT volunteer to a search, and I did not volunteer to talk. You guys flashed your badge and detained me with no probable cause except for racism. This is JIM CROW RACISM. I DID NOT VOLUNTEER TO A SEARCH. YOU ARE HARASSING ME. THIS IS RACISM!”

FIBBING GEORGIA POLITICIAN, REDUX: Georgia’s flamboyant freshman Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene decided the night the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict was announced … was a good night to tweet lies about the nation’s capitol city of Washington, DC.

She dropped this gem on Twitter on April 20: “DC is completely dead tonight. People stayed in and were scared to go out because of fear of riots. Police are everywhere and have riot gear. #BLM is the strongest terrorist threat in our country.” Worth noting: She tweeted this at 9:47 p.m., roughly five hours after the guilty verdict was announced.

Except Rep. Greene was flat wrong. As Washington Post columnist Philip Bump notes, “… this wasn’t true. It was, by all accounts, a normal evening that followed an obviously tense day. Had that jury in Minneapolis not found Chauvin guilty, there probably would have been protests, but those protests would by now have been a function of an outcry that spilled past the boundaries of BLM organizing.”

And oh yeah, there still IS increased police presence on Capitol Hill. “But that’s not due to BLM,” Bump says. “It’s because of the threat of right-wing violence like that manifested on Jan. 6 after Greene and others insisted falsely that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen.”

Worth noting: Spotted among the rioting mob on January 6 inside the nation’s capitol: A close buddy and political ally of Rep. Taylor-Greene, a dude named Anthony Aguero. He’s a conservative live-streamer whom Greene once described as “amazing.” They attended a pro-Trump rally together in November, after he lost the election.

IT’S A GAS, GAS, GAS: A 48-year-old woman rakes in $4,000+ a month by farting online. Seriously. The mother of two children has been “flatulence camming” for more than 20 years. Apparently, it pays wayyyyy more than her previous work as a travel agent. She’s been passing gas online since 1999. She even eats foods designed to increase her farting productivity, including Mexican entrees, avocados, and asparagus. “One of my favorites is coleslaw and baked beans mixed together,” she says.

The videos are recorded only when no one else is at her home in South Carolina. Her husband is not into farting at all, she says. Apparently, she has two types of clients: White-collar professionals who want her to say their names in videos as she passes gas. And guys in their 20s who just view her online videos. All for a handsome price, of course.

Is there anything illegal about her endeavor? Nope. Any crime committed or police involved? Again, no and no. We just thought it so bizarre it’s worth sharing in the Blotter.

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    Tray Butler   0,0,10    blotter                       THE BLOTTER: Party ends with a bang (the whole shack shimmied!) "
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  string(7332) "A 35-year-old Lithonia man is accused of claiming to own a farm — (which he doesn’t) — and that his imaginary farm was suffering due to the pandemic, in order to ask the government to bail out his imaginary farm — to the tune of $1.5 million dollars.

Even worse, he was allegedly trying to get that $$ from the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

The program aims to help farmers and livestock producers dealing with price declines and other negative economic effects from pandemic. The Lithonia man allegedly submitted fraudulent documents claiming “loss of livestock,” according to a recent press release.

But wait, there’s more shenanigans. Also, the Lithonia man is accused of sending fraudulent paperwork to the IRS in order to steal money from a government program offering refundable tax credits to small-biz owners to help cover paid employee sick leave related to COVID-19.

“Unfortunately, when criminals steal these funds, they take them out of the hands of those suffering hardship, such as farmers, who are the focus of USDA relief efforts,” said the acting U.S. attorney for Southern District of Georgia, reported in the AJC.

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS: A Georgia man quit his job at a luxury auto repair shop in Peachtree City. He demanded his final paycheck for months, but his former boss stalled.

Finally, his boss dumped 91,500 oily pennies in the driveway of the man’s home. That’s $915 (aka his final paycheck).

The man said the coins were covered in an oily sticky substance he suspects might be power-steering fluid, according to Fortune magazine.

Also the man said he quit his job at the auto shop due to a toxic working environment. That stemmed from his boss, who also owns the repair shop.

A CBS46.com reporter went to the luxury auto mechanics shop to chat with the boss.

Reporter: “May I ask you about the pennies? Do you know anything about them?”

Boss: “I know tons about it, what’s wrong with it?”

Reporter: “So you did drop the pennies over at that person’s house?”

Boss: “I don’t know if I did that or not, I don’t really remember.”

Reporter: “You don’t know if you did it or not?”

Boss: “It doesn’t matter, he got paid. That’s all that matters. He’s a fucking weenie for even bringing it up.”

PHONY HIT PARADE: A 29-year-old man will spend seven years in federal prison for pretending to be part of a famous rap group — and stealing hospitality services. Also, the man must pay $300,000 to 19 businesses that he defrauded in the scheme.

The scam unraveled at an Augusta hotel, where 10 rooms had been booked.

His accomplice, a 52-year-old man, is awaiting sentencing.

“For several weeks, these men defrauded multiple businesses by posing as famous musical artists and their retinue,” said David Estes, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia in a news release. “Thanks to an alert hotel clerk, their phony hit parade came to an abrupt halt.”

The two men admitted to falsely portraying themselves as members of the Wu-Tang Clan and being affiliated with the Roc Nation production company starting in September 2019.

The men used fake and stolen credit cards to rent luxury limos and defraud hotels, caterers, and production studios of thousands of dollars in multiple Southeast cities, according to a news release cited in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The scam imploded when employees at Augusta’s Fairfield Inn and Suites became suspicious and called the cops.

“This is what happens when you seek a fleeting moment of fame at the expense of others. Neither law enforcement nor the community will tolerate it,” Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, told the AJC.

“The crew of the Rolls Royce-riding identity thieves who posed as rap industry figures scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars from some of the South’s most exclusive hotels, prosecutors told the AJC.”

The Georgian Terrace Hotel was left with a $45,000 unpaid tab. The Hyatt Regency Atlanta got stuck with a $39,000 tab. And the hip-hop poseurs were driving a Rolls Royce Phantom rented from A-National Limousine, which reported a loss of nearly $60,000.

LEAD FOOT: A sheriff in Cherokee County saw a man steering a moped with his feet — without wearing a helmet — while driving on I-575. Also, his moped had no tag. The sheriff tried to stop the Moped Man, who refused to pull over. Just north of Rabbit Hill Road, the driver exited the interstate, drove into the woods, and then ran away, the AJC reports. The sheriff chased the man on foot and captured him.

Authorities found a bag of suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia under the moped’s seat. The Moped Man, a 23-year-old from Blairsville, Georgia, was charged with drug possession, steering with his feet, operating a motorcycle without a helmet, and driving without a tag, among other charges.

AS EASY AS ONE-TWO-THREE: Within 30 minutes, an unarmed, 26-year-old man attempted three crimes — two carjackings and one home invasion — and his intended victims thwarted him every time. Still, his unsuccessful crime spree landed him in Gwinnett County Jail.

Crime attempt #1: The 26-year-old man tried to steal a car near South Puckett and Ridge roads in Buford, Georgia.  He walked up to the car, opened a door, and ordered the male driver to get out. Instead, the male driver accelerated and sped away.

Crime attempt #2: The 26-year-old man attempted to carjack a different car near Ridge and Hamilton Mill roads. He walked up, ordered the female driver to get out of her car — but she refused. Instead, she called police. The suspect fled before officers arrived.

Crime attempt #3: The 26-year-old man (still unarmed) used a brick to smash a window and went inside a home on Woodtree Lane. Upon entry, he was met by an armed homeowner. The suspect quickly ran away and “led police on a foot chase” before being arrested.

All three crime attempts happened within 30 minutes — before 5:30 a.m.

The 26-year-old’s motive remains unclear.

LET’S WAIT MORE THAN A MINUTE: Plenty of questions remain about the March series of shootings at three massage parlors in metro Atlanta area. Eight people were killed, and six of them were Asian-American women.

But two facts are indisputable.

Fact #1: The Cherokee County Sheriff’s spokesman said the alleged shooter, Robert Aaron Long, was having a “bad day” and “this is what he did.”

No. A bad day is when you lose all your computer passwords. Or your car gets stolen. Or you leave your umbrella at home and must walk around in the rain all day, with frizzy poodlehead hair. A “bad day” is not  license to go on a killing spree. Ever. Period.

Fact #2: Suspected killer Robert Aaron Long purchased the guns that morning — mere hours before allegedly opening fire. Just hours. Thanks to the Peach State’s no-wait gun laws. C’mon, Georgia. If one is having a “bad day,” perhaps buying guns on-demand is problematic.

Hell, even Florida has a three-day mandatory waiting period between the purchase and delivery of firearms.

As state Rep. Matthew Wilson tweeted: “In Georgia, it’s easier to buy a gun than it is to vote.” —CL—"
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  string(7392) "A 35-year-old Lithonia man is accused of claiming to own a farm — (which he doesn’t) — and that his imaginary farm was suffering due to the pandemic, in order to ask the government to bail out his imaginary farm — to the tune of $1.5 million dollars.

Even worse, he was allegedly trying to get that $$ from the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

The program aims to help farmers and livestock producers dealing with price declines and other negative economic effects from pandemic. The Lithonia man allegedly submitted fraudulent documents claiming “loss of livestock,” according to a recent press release.

But wait, there’s more shenanigans. Also, the Lithonia man is accused of sending fraudulent paperwork to the IRS in order to steal money from a government program offering refundable tax credits to small-biz owners to help cover paid employee sick leave related to COVID-19.

“Unfortunately, when criminals steal these funds, they take them out of the hands of those suffering hardship, such as farmers, who are the focus of USDA relief efforts,” said the acting U.S. attorney for Southern District of Georgia, reported in the ''AJC''.

P__ENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS:__ A Georgia man quit his job at a luxury auto repair shop in Peachtree City. He demanded his final paycheck for months, but his former boss stalled.

Finally, his boss dumped 91,500 oily pennies in the driveway of the man’s home. That’s $915 (aka his final paycheck).

The man said the coins were covered in an oily sticky substance he suspects might be power-steering fluid, according to ''Fortune'' magazine.

Also the man said he quit his job at the auto shop due to a toxic working environment. That stemmed from his boss, who also owns the repair shop.

A CBS46.com reporter went to the luxury auto mechanics shop to chat with the boss.

Reporter: “May I ask you about the pennies? Do you know anything about them?”

Boss: “I know tons about it, what’s wrong with it?”

Reporter: “So you did drop the pennies over at that person’s house?”

Boss: “I don’t know if I did that or not, I don’t really remember.”

Reporter: “You don’t know if you did it or not?”

Boss: “It doesn’t matter, he got paid. That’s all that matters. He’s a fucking weenie for even bringing it up.”

__PHONY HIT PARADE:__ A 29-year-old man will spend seven years in federal prison for pretending to be part of a famous rap group — and stealing hospitality services. Also, the man must pay $300,000 to 19 businesses that he defrauded in the scheme.

The scam unraveled at an Augusta hotel, where 10 rooms had been booked.

His accomplice, a 52-year-old man, is awaiting sentencing.

“For several weeks, these men defrauded multiple businesses by posing as famous musical artists and their retinue,” said David Estes, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia in a news release. “Thanks to an alert hotel clerk, their phony hit parade came to an abrupt halt.”

The two men admitted to falsely portraying themselves as members of the Wu-Tang Clan and being affiliated with the Roc Nation production company starting in September 2019.

The men used fake and stolen credit cards to rent luxury limos and defraud hotels, caterers, and production studios of thousands of dollars in multiple Southeast cities, according to a news release cited in the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution''.

The scam imploded when employees at Augusta’s Fairfield Inn and Suites became suspicious and called the cops.

“This is what happens when you seek a fleeting moment of fame at the expense of others. Neither law enforcement nor the community will tolerate it,” Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, told the ''AJC''.

“The crew of the Rolls Royce-riding identity thieves who posed as rap industry figures scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars from some of the South’s most exclusive hotels, prosecutors told the ''AJC''.”

The Georgian Terrace Hotel was left with a $45,000 unpaid tab. The Hyatt Regency Atlanta got stuck with a $39,000 tab. And the hip-hop poseurs were driving a Rolls Royce Phantom rented from A-National Limousine, which reported a loss of nearly $60,000.

__LEAD FOOT:__ A sheriff in Cherokee County saw a man steering a moped with his feet — without wearing a helmet — while driving on I-575. Also, his moped had no tag. The sheriff tried to stop the Moped Man, who refused to pull over. Just north of Rabbit Hill Road, the driver exited the interstate, drove into the woods, and then ran away, the ''AJC'' reports. The sheriff chased the man on foot and captured him.

Authorities found a bag of suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia under the moped’s seat. The Moped Man, a 23-year-old from Blairsville, Georgia, was charged with drug possession, steering with his feet, operating a motorcycle without a helmet, and driving without a tag, among other charges.

__AS EASY AS ONE-TWO-THREE:__ Within 30 minutes, an unarmed, 26-year-old man attempted three crimes — two carjackings and one home invasion — and his intended victims thwarted him every time. Still, his unsuccessful crime spree landed him in Gwinnett County Jail.

Crime attempt #1: The 26-year-old man tried to steal a car near South Puckett and Ridge roads in Buford, Georgia.  He walked up to the car, opened a door, and ordered the male driver to get out. Instead, the male driver accelerated and sped away.

Crime attempt #2: The 26-year-old man attempted to carjack a different car near Ridge and Hamilton Mill roads. He walked up, ordered the female driver to get out of her car — but she refused. Instead, she called police. The suspect fled before officers arrived.

Crime attempt #3: The 26-year-old man (still unarmed) used a brick to smash a window and went inside a home on Woodtree Lane. Upon entry, he was met by an armed homeowner. The suspect quickly ran away and “led police on a foot chase” before being arrested.

All three crime attempts happened within 30 minutes — before 5:30 a.m.

The 26-year-old’s motive remains unclear.

__LET’S WAIT MORE THAN A MINUTE:__ Plenty of questions remain about the March series of shootings at three massage parlors in metro Atlanta area. Eight people were killed, and six of them were Asian-American women.

But two facts are indisputable.

Fact #1: The Cherokee County Sheriff’s spokesman said the alleged shooter, Robert Aaron Long, was having a “bad day” and “this is what he did.”

No. A bad day is when you lose all your computer passwords. Or your car gets stolen. Or you leave your umbrella at home and must walk around in the rain all day, with frizzy poodlehead hair. A “bad day” is ''not''  license to go on a killing spree. Ever. Period.

Fact #2: Suspected killer Robert Aaron Long purchased the guns ''that morning'' — mere hours before allegedly opening fire. Just hours. Thanks to the Peach State’s no-wait gun laws. C’mon, Georgia. If one is having a “bad day,” perhaps buying guns on-demand is problematic.

Hell, even ''Florida'' has a three-day mandatory waiting period between the purchase and delivery of firearms.

As state Rep. Matthew Wilson tweeted: “In Georgia, it’s easier to buy a gun than it is to vote.” __—CL—__"
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  string(7819) " 0421 Blot Fake Farm Reduced Web  2021-04-05T15:45:04+00:00 0421-blot-fake-farm_reduced_web.jpg    Fact #2?   You assume, incorrectly, the killer purchased the firearm through "legal" means. blotter And other tales of life in the ATL 0421 Blot Fake Farm Reduced Web   2021-04-05T15:35:42+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Big Moo-stake jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING  2021-04-05T15:35:42+00:00 A 35-year-old Lithonia man is accused of claiming to own a farm — (which he doesn’t) — and that his imaginary farm was suffering due to the pandemic, in order to ask the government to bail out his imaginary farm — to the tune of $1.5 million dollars.

Even worse, he was allegedly trying to get that $$ from the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

The program aims to help farmers and livestock producers dealing with price declines and other negative economic effects from pandemic. The Lithonia man allegedly submitted fraudulent documents claiming “loss of livestock,” according to a recent press release.

But wait, there’s more shenanigans. Also, the Lithonia man is accused of sending fraudulent paperwork to the IRS in order to steal money from a government program offering refundable tax credits to small-biz owners to help cover paid employee sick leave related to COVID-19.

“Unfortunately, when criminals steal these funds, they take them out of the hands of those suffering hardship, such as farmers, who are the focus of USDA relief efforts,” said the acting U.S. attorney for Southern District of Georgia, reported in the AJC.

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS: A Georgia man quit his job at a luxury auto repair shop in Peachtree City. He demanded his final paycheck for months, but his former boss stalled.

Finally, his boss dumped 91,500 oily pennies in the driveway of the man’s home. That’s $915 (aka his final paycheck).

The man said the coins were covered in an oily sticky substance he suspects might be power-steering fluid, according to Fortune magazine.

Also the man said he quit his job at the auto shop due to a toxic working environment. That stemmed from his boss, who also owns the repair shop.

A CBS46.com reporter went to the luxury auto mechanics shop to chat with the boss.

Reporter: “May I ask you about the pennies? Do you know anything about them?”

Boss: “I know tons about it, what’s wrong with it?”

Reporter: “So you did drop the pennies over at that person’s house?”

Boss: “I don’t know if I did that or not, I don’t really remember.”

Reporter: “You don’t know if you did it or not?”

Boss: “It doesn’t matter, he got paid. That’s all that matters. He’s a fucking weenie for even bringing it up.”

PHONY HIT PARADE: A 29-year-old man will spend seven years in federal prison for pretending to be part of a famous rap group — and stealing hospitality services. Also, the man must pay $300,000 to 19 businesses that he defrauded in the scheme.

The scam unraveled at an Augusta hotel, where 10 rooms had been booked.

His accomplice, a 52-year-old man, is awaiting sentencing.

“For several weeks, these men defrauded multiple businesses by posing as famous musical artists and their retinue,” said David Estes, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia in a news release. “Thanks to an alert hotel clerk, their phony hit parade came to an abrupt halt.”

The two men admitted to falsely portraying themselves as members of the Wu-Tang Clan and being affiliated with the Roc Nation production company starting in September 2019.

The men used fake and stolen credit cards to rent luxury limos and defraud hotels, caterers, and production studios of thousands of dollars in multiple Southeast cities, according to a news release cited in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The scam imploded when employees at Augusta’s Fairfield Inn and Suites became suspicious and called the cops.

“This is what happens when you seek a fleeting moment of fame at the expense of others. Neither law enforcement nor the community will tolerate it,” Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, told the AJC.

“The crew of the Rolls Royce-riding identity thieves who posed as rap industry figures scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars from some of the South’s most exclusive hotels, prosecutors told the AJC.”

The Georgian Terrace Hotel was left with a $45,000 unpaid tab. The Hyatt Regency Atlanta got stuck with a $39,000 tab. And the hip-hop poseurs were driving a Rolls Royce Phantom rented from A-National Limousine, which reported a loss of nearly $60,000.

LEAD FOOT: A sheriff in Cherokee County saw a man steering a moped with his feet — without wearing a helmet — while driving on I-575. Also, his moped had no tag. The sheriff tried to stop the Moped Man, who refused to pull over. Just north of Rabbit Hill Road, the driver exited the interstate, drove into the woods, and then ran away, the AJC reports. The sheriff chased the man on foot and captured him.

Authorities found a bag of suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia under the moped’s seat. The Moped Man, a 23-year-old from Blairsville, Georgia, was charged with drug possession, steering with his feet, operating a motorcycle without a helmet, and driving without a tag, among other charges.

AS EASY AS ONE-TWO-THREE: Within 30 minutes, an unarmed, 26-year-old man attempted three crimes — two carjackings and one home invasion — and his intended victims thwarted him every time. Still, his unsuccessful crime spree landed him in Gwinnett County Jail.

Crime attempt #1: The 26-year-old man tried to steal a car near South Puckett and Ridge roads in Buford, Georgia.  He walked up to the car, opened a door, and ordered the male driver to get out. Instead, the male driver accelerated and sped away.

Crime attempt #2: The 26-year-old man attempted to carjack a different car near Ridge and Hamilton Mill roads. He walked up, ordered the female driver to get out of her car — but she refused. Instead, she called police. The suspect fled before officers arrived.

Crime attempt #3: The 26-year-old man (still unarmed) used a brick to smash a window and went inside a home on Woodtree Lane. Upon entry, he was met by an armed homeowner. The suspect quickly ran away and “led police on a foot chase” before being arrested.

All three crime attempts happened within 30 minutes — before 5:30 a.m.

The 26-year-old’s motive remains unclear.

LET’S WAIT MORE THAN A MINUTE: Plenty of questions remain about the March series of shootings at three massage parlors in metro Atlanta area. Eight people were killed, and six of them were Asian-American women.

But two facts are indisputable.

Fact #1: The Cherokee County Sheriff’s spokesman said the alleged shooter, Robert Aaron Long, was having a “bad day” and “this is what he did.”

No. A bad day is when you lose all your computer passwords. Or your car gets stolen. Or you leave your umbrella at home and must walk around in the rain all day, with frizzy poodlehead hair. A “bad day” is not  license to go on a killing spree. Ever. Period.

Fact #2: Suspected killer Robert Aaron Long purchased the guns that morning — mere hours before allegedly opening fire. Just hours. Thanks to the Peach State’s no-wait gun laws. C’mon, Georgia. If one is having a “bad day,” perhaps buying guns on-demand is problematic.

Hell, even Florida has a three-day mandatory waiting period between the purchase and delivery of firearms.

As state Rep. Matthew Wilson tweeted: “In Georgia, it’s easier to buy a gun than it is to vote.” —CL—    Illustration by Tray Butler   0,0,10    blotter                       THE BLOTTER: Big Moo-stake "
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  string(7966) "A 51-year-old man allegedly tried to weaponize COVID-19 to rob a bank. The man entered a Chase bank in Clayton County, off I-85. He gave the bank teller a note demanding cash. He didn’t have a gun.

The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office reports: “The suspect did not display a weapon, but stated he had tested positive for COVID-19, and if the bank did not comply with his wishes, he would begin to infect everyone in the branch.”

His COVID ploy failed. A bank employee called police — and the man left without getting any money. Riverdale police responded to the bank, and identified the man from surveillance video. Five days later, Clayton County deputies tracked down the 51-year-old man at his Social Circle home — and arrested him.

According to cbs46.com, the man said he’d fallen on hard times and needed about $2,000 to catch up on bills. Now, he’s behind bars on attempted bank robbery charges.

ATL DRIVER MELTDOWN: Near Roswell, a Friend of the Blotter named Ed Burdell was heading eastbound on Highway 92 when he encountered a car behaving strangely in the left lane. The car had Florida tags.

“The driver was actually going the speed limit, which is 45 mph on that section of road. Can you believe it??!!” says the outraged Burdell. He described the Florida car as an “off-white, tired-looking Toyota, which mirrored its occupant.”

Things quickly deteriorated when Burdell and his unknown adversary approached the traffic light at Hwy. 92 and Alpharetta Highway. When the light suddenly changed from green to yellow, rather than accelerate through the intersection — as is de rigueur in Atlanta metro driving — the Florida driver came to a complete stop just as the light turned red.

“I was tailgating as much as two car lengths behind him, and I coulda made that light,” wails Burdell.

“After 30 seconds of eternity,” Burdell recalls, “the light turned green again, and we two drivers proceeded through the intersection — but not before I passed the Florida driver in a fit of well-earned pique!”

“When I think of all the opportunities in life that I missed — passing other slow cars on the right, just barely making lights, perhaps even getting to my destination a minute or two earlier — the full magnitude of this really hits home,” Burdell says.

Burdell reports that he will be admitted into an Atlanta driver treatment and counseling program in an effort to deal with this tragic occurrence. We wish him the best.

SUPERSTAR’S NEW GIG: In January, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal accepted a new job in Georgia law enforcement. Seriously. Shaq is now employed at the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, serving as director of community relations.

A spokesman with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution: “Bridging the gap between the community and law enforcement is paramount.… Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett and Shaq have a specific plan to begin uniting the Henry County community.”

Apparently, Shaq’s no rookie player when it comes to Georgia policing. Back in 2016, the 7-foot-1 O’Neal became the tallest sheriff’s deputy ever hired in the history of the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office. “Welcome to the crime-fighting family, Shaq!!” posted Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill in 2016.

Shaq has said he may run for sheriff in Henry County in 2024. Before that happens, we’d love to see Shaq hitting the streets like any other new officer — and directing traffic a few times during rush hour.

AMBITIOUS TEEN SCAMMER: In Gwinnett County, a 19-year-old allegedly managed to steal nearly a million dollars from the Kroger where he worked — all within two weeks, while his co-worker in charge of flagging fraudulent transactions was on vacation.

According to the AJC, the 19-year-old created more than 40 returns for nonexistent items, ranging in price from $75 to more than $87,000. By entering a code allowing him to return lottery tickets that were never actually sold at the Kroger on Steve Reynolds Boulevard, the 19-year-old racked up $980,437 worth of returns.

Those returns were then placed on several credit cards.

“It was just like returning any other item where he basically said, ‘This item is being returned’ and then picked an amount for how much to return it for,” Gwinnett County Police spokesman Flynn told the daily newspaper. “There were no lottery tickets. He just picked lottery tickets as an item to return.”

Investigators say the 19-year-old used the stolen $980,000 to buy two cars, guns, shoes, and clothes — but that the same teen wrecked and totaled one of those cars, a Chevrolet Camaro, shortly before his arrest.

“It sounds like he got away with it, and then as soon as he did, he went a little crazy with it,” Flynn added.

A Marietta attorney says: “It’s kind of impressive that he was able to pull this off within a two-week span and not get caught sooner.”

CAPITOL FALLOUT: A Georgia man linked to the QAnon conspiracy group is among the dozens facing charges from the deadly riot at U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Cleveland Grover Meredith of Hiawassee, Georgia, is accused of threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, among other charges.

The AJC reports: “In 2018, Meredith attracted attention in metro Atlanta for erecting a billboard on Cobb Parkway in Acworth espousing QAnon, a baseless and debunked conspiracy theory that holds Democrats and Hollywood elites are part of a secret cabal that snatches children to sexually exploit and kill for a supposed youth-regenerating chemical ….

“According to a report filed by federal agents, Meredith allegedly sent a text message threatening to put ‘a bullet in (Pelosi’s) noggin on live TV’ and another message that he was headed to Washington for the rally with armor-piercing bullets. The report notes that car trouble prevented Meredith from arriving in time for the pro-Trump rally, but he continued to Washington anyway.”

FBI agents found Meredith in a Washington, D.C., hotel room, allegedly with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, an assault rifle, and threatening messages to Pelosi. Meredith had reportedly texted an acquaintance that he was “high.” FBI agents reported seizing “a box of suspected THC edibles and a vial of Testosterone Cypio-nate/Propionate.”

In June, Meredith appeared with an assault rifle at a Black Lives Matter protest in Hiawassee. Meredith told the North Georgia News this: “I sincerely believe the New World Order, Cabal, Deep State — whatever you want to call it — wants society to devolve into a race war so that it’s much easier to take over.”

LOOKING FOR LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES: Fel-las, do ya need another reason why dating apps suck? Here’s one: A Georgia woman found a guy on a dating app — and agreed to meet him at his home on Hartford Drive in Clayton County. During their first date, the woman noticed a large amount of cash in the guy’s house. Police told 11alive.com that the woman allegedly called two of her male friends and arranged for them to rob her new love interest.

As soon the woman left, her friends showed up to swipe the man’s cash. Apparently, there was a struggle and a shooting. The man and one suspect were injured. The man wound up hospitalized after his dating app experiment went seriously off the rails.

This isn’t the first time a dating app was used to entrap and rob lovelorn Georgia men. A 23-year-old Jonesboro woman was busted last year for bringing two guys she met online (using the Plenty of Fish and Tagged apps) to her apartment on Upper Riverdale Road and then allowing her male friends to rob her potential dates at gunpoint.  One guy’s car was stolen in the caper. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
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  string(8010) "A 51-year-old man allegedly tried to weaponize COVID-19 to rob a bank. The man entered a Chase bank in Clayton County, off I-85. He gave the bank teller a note demanding cash. He didn’t have a gun.

The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office reports: “The suspect did not display a weapon, but stated he had tested positive for COVID-19, and if the bank did not comply with his wishes, he would begin to infect everyone in the branch.”

His COVID ploy failed. A bank employee called police — and the man left without getting any money. Riverdale police responded to the bank, and identified the man from surveillance video. Five days later, Clayton County deputies tracked down the 51-year-old man at his Social Circle home — and arrested him.

According to cbs46.com, the man said he’d fallen on hard times and needed about $2,000 to catch up on bills. Now, he’s behind bars on attempted bank robbery charges.

__ATL DRIVER MELTDOWN:__ Near Roswell, a Friend of the Blotter named Ed Burdell was heading eastbound on Highway 92 when he encountered a car behaving strangely in the left lane. The car had Florida tags.

“The driver was actually going the speed limit, which is 45 mph on that section of road. Can you believe it??!!” says the outraged Burdell. He described the Florida car as an “off-white, tired-looking Toyota, which mirrored its occupant.”

Things quickly deteriorated when Burdell and his unknown adversary approached the traffic light at Hwy. 92 and Alpharetta Highway. When the light suddenly changed from green to yellow, rather than accelerate through the intersection — as is ''de rigueur'' in Atlanta metro driving — the Florida driver came to a complete stop just as the light turned red.

“I was tailgating as much as two car lengths behind him, and I coulda made that light,” wails Burdell.

“After 30 seconds of eternity,” Burdell recalls, “the light turned green again, and we two drivers proceeded through the intersection — but not before I passed the Florida driver in a fit of well-earned pique!”

“When I think of all the opportunities in life that I missed — passing other slow cars on the right, just barely making lights, perhaps even getting to my destination a minute or two earlier — the full magnitude of this really hits home,” Burdell says.

Burdell reports that he will be admitted into an Atlanta driver treatment and counseling program in an effort to deal with this tragic occurrence. We wish him the best.

__SUPERSTAR’S NEW GIG:__ In January, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal accepted a new job in Georgia law enforcement. Seriously. Shaq is now employed at the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, serving as director of community relations.

A spokesman with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office told the ''Atlanta-Journal Constitution'': “Bridging the gap between the community and law enforcement is paramount.… Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett and Shaq have a specific plan to begin uniting the Henry County community.”

Apparently, Shaq’s no rookie player when it comes to Georgia policing. Back in 2016, the 7-foot-1 O’Neal became the tallest sheriff’s deputy ever hired in the history of the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office. “Welcome to the crime-fighting family, Shaq!!” posted Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill in 2016.

Shaq has said he may run for sheriff in Henry County in 2024. Before that happens, we’d love to see Shaq hitting the streets like any other new officer — and directing traffic a few times during rush hour.

__AMBITIOUS TEEN SCAMMER:__ In Gwinnett County, a 19-year-old allegedly managed to steal nearly a million dollars from the Kroger where he worked — all within two weeks, while his co-worker in charge of flagging fraudulent transactions was on vacation.

According to the ''AJC'', the 19-year-old created more than 40 returns for nonexistent items, ranging in price from $75 to more than $87,000. By entering a code allowing him to return lottery tickets that were never actually sold at the Kroger on Steve Reynolds Boulevard, the 19-year-old racked up $980,437 worth of returns.

Those returns were then placed on several credit cards.

“It was just like returning any other item where he basically said, ‘This item is being returned’ and then picked an amount for how much to return it for,” Gwinnett County Police spokesman Flynn told the daily newspaper. “There were no lottery tickets. He just picked lottery tickets as an item to return.”

Investigators say the 19-year-old used the stolen $980,000 to buy two cars, guns, shoes, and clothes — but that the same teen wrecked and totaled one of those cars, a Chevrolet Camaro, shortly before his arrest.

“It sounds like he got away with it, and then as soon as he did, he went a little crazy with it,” Flynn added.

A Marietta attorney says: “It’s kind of impressive that he was able to pull this off within a two-week span and not get caught sooner.”

__CAPITOL FALLOUT:__ A Georgia man linked to the QAnon conspiracy group is among the dozens facing charges from the deadly riot at U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Cleveland Grover Meredith of Hiawassee, Georgia, is accused of threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, among other charges.

The ''AJC'' reports: “In 2018, Meredith attracted attention in metro Atlanta for erecting a billboard on Cobb Parkway in Acworth espousing QAnon, a baseless and debunked conspiracy theory that holds Democrats and Hollywood elites are part of a secret cabal that snatches children to sexually exploit and kill for a supposed youth-regenerating chemical ….

“According to a report filed by federal agents, Meredith allegedly sent a text message threatening to put ‘a bullet in (Pelosi’s) noggin on live TV’ and another message that he was headed to Washington for the rally with armor-piercing bullets. The report notes that car trouble prevented Meredith from arriving in time for the pro-Trump rally, but he continued to Washington anyway.”

FBI agents found Meredith in a Washington, D.C., hotel room, allegedly with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, an assault rifle, and threatening messages to Pelosi. Meredith had reportedly texted an acquaintance that he was “high.” FBI agents reported seizing “a box of suspected THC edibles and a vial of Testosterone Cypio-nate/Propionate.”

In June, Meredith appeared with an assault rifle at a Black Lives Matter protest in Hiawassee. Meredith told the North Georgia News this: “I sincerely believe the New World Order, Cabal, Deep State — whatever you want to call it — wants society to devolve into a race war so that it’s much easier to take over.”

__LOOKING FOR LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES:__ Fel-las, do ya need another reason why dating apps suck? Here’s one: A Georgia woman found a guy on a dating app — and agreed to meet him at his home on Hartford Drive in Clayton County. During their first date, the woman noticed a large amount of cash in the guy’s house. Police told 11alive.com that the woman allegedly called two of her male friends and arranged for them to rob her new love interest.

As soon the woman left, her friends showed up to swipe the man’s cash. Apparently, there was a struggle and a shooting. The man and one suspect were injured. The man wound up hospitalized after his dating app experiment went seriously off the rails.

This isn’t the first time a dating app was used to entrap and rob lovelorn Georgia men. A 23-year-old Jonesboro woman was busted last year for bringing two guys she met online (using the Plenty of Fish and Tagged apps) to her apartment on Upper Riverdale Road and then allowing her male friends to rob her potential dates at gunpoint.  One guy’s car was stolen in the caper. __—CL—__

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  string(8392) " Blot Bank Robber Final Reduced  2021-03-02T16:06:10+00:00 blot-bank-robber-final_reduced.jpg      And other tales of life in the ATL Blot Bank Robber Final Reduced   2021-03-01T20:29:00+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Don’t bank on it jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING  lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2021-03-01T20:29:00+00:00 A 51-year-old man allegedly tried to weaponize COVID-19 to rob a bank. The man entered a Chase bank in Clayton County, off I-85. He gave the bank teller a note demanding cash. He didn’t have a gun.

The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office reports: “The suspect did not display a weapon, but stated he had tested positive for COVID-19, and if the bank did not comply with his wishes, he would begin to infect everyone in the branch.”

His COVID ploy failed. A bank employee called police — and the man left without getting any money. Riverdale police responded to the bank, and identified the man from surveillance video. Five days later, Clayton County deputies tracked down the 51-year-old man at his Social Circle home — and arrested him.

According to cbs46.com, the man said he’d fallen on hard times and needed about $2,000 to catch up on bills. Now, he’s behind bars on attempted bank robbery charges.

ATL DRIVER MELTDOWN: Near Roswell, a Friend of the Blotter named Ed Burdell was heading eastbound on Highway 92 when he encountered a car behaving strangely in the left lane. The car had Florida tags.

“The driver was actually going the speed limit, which is 45 mph on that section of road. Can you believe it??!!” says the outraged Burdell. He described the Florida car as an “off-white, tired-looking Toyota, which mirrored its occupant.”

Things quickly deteriorated when Burdell and his unknown adversary approached the traffic light at Hwy. 92 and Alpharetta Highway. When the light suddenly changed from green to yellow, rather than accelerate through the intersection — as is de rigueur in Atlanta metro driving — the Florida driver came to a complete stop just as the light turned red.

“I was tailgating as much as two car lengths behind him, and I coulda made that light,” wails Burdell.

“After 30 seconds of eternity,” Burdell recalls, “the light turned green again, and we two drivers proceeded through the intersection — but not before I passed the Florida driver in a fit of well-earned pique!”

“When I think of all the opportunities in life that I missed — passing other slow cars on the right, just barely making lights, perhaps even getting to my destination a minute or two earlier — the full magnitude of this really hits home,” Burdell says.

Burdell reports that he will be admitted into an Atlanta driver treatment and counseling program in an effort to deal with this tragic occurrence. We wish him the best.

SUPERSTAR’S NEW GIG: In January, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal accepted a new job in Georgia law enforcement. Seriously. Shaq is now employed at the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, serving as director of community relations.

A spokesman with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution: “Bridging the gap between the community and law enforcement is paramount.… Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett and Shaq have a specific plan to begin uniting the Henry County community.”

Apparently, Shaq’s no rookie player when it comes to Georgia policing. Back in 2016, the 7-foot-1 O’Neal became the tallest sheriff’s deputy ever hired in the history of the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office. “Welcome to the crime-fighting family, Shaq!!” posted Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill in 2016.

Shaq has said he may run for sheriff in Henry County in 2024. Before that happens, we’d love to see Shaq hitting the streets like any other new officer — and directing traffic a few times during rush hour.

AMBITIOUS TEEN SCAMMER: In Gwinnett County, a 19-year-old allegedly managed to steal nearly a million dollars from the Kroger where he worked — all within two weeks, while his co-worker in charge of flagging fraudulent transactions was on vacation.

According to the AJC, the 19-year-old created more than 40 returns for nonexistent items, ranging in price from $75 to more than $87,000. By entering a code allowing him to return lottery tickets that were never actually sold at the Kroger on Steve Reynolds Boulevard, the 19-year-old racked up $980,437 worth of returns.

Those returns were then placed on several credit cards.

“It was just like returning any other item where he basically said, ‘This item is being returned’ and then picked an amount for how much to return it for,” Gwinnett County Police spokesman Flynn told the daily newspaper. “There were no lottery tickets. He just picked lottery tickets as an item to return.”

Investigators say the 19-year-old used the stolen $980,000 to buy two cars, guns, shoes, and clothes — but that the same teen wrecked and totaled one of those cars, a Chevrolet Camaro, shortly before his arrest.

“It sounds like he got away with it, and then as soon as he did, he went a little crazy with it,” Flynn added.

A Marietta attorney says: “It’s kind of impressive that he was able to pull this off within a two-week span and not get caught sooner.”

CAPITOL FALLOUT: A Georgia man linked to the QAnon conspiracy group is among the dozens facing charges from the deadly riot at U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Cleveland Grover Meredith of Hiawassee, Georgia, is accused of threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, among other charges.

The AJC reports: “In 2018, Meredith attracted attention in metro Atlanta for erecting a billboard on Cobb Parkway in Acworth espousing QAnon, a baseless and debunked conspiracy theory that holds Democrats and Hollywood elites are part of a secret cabal that snatches children to sexually exploit and kill for a supposed youth-regenerating chemical ….

“According to a report filed by federal agents, Meredith allegedly sent a text message threatening to put ‘a bullet in (Pelosi’s) noggin on live TV’ and another message that he was headed to Washington for the rally with armor-piercing bullets. The report notes that car trouble prevented Meredith from arriving in time for the pro-Trump rally, but he continued to Washington anyway.”

FBI agents found Meredith in a Washington, D.C., hotel room, allegedly with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, an assault rifle, and threatening messages to Pelosi. Meredith had reportedly texted an acquaintance that he was “high.” FBI agents reported seizing “a box of suspected THC edibles and a vial of Testosterone Cypio-nate/Propionate.”

In June, Meredith appeared with an assault rifle at a Black Lives Matter protest in Hiawassee. Meredith told the North Georgia News this: “I sincerely believe the New World Order, Cabal, Deep State — whatever you want to call it — wants society to devolve into a race war so that it’s much easier to take over.”

LOOKING FOR LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES: Fel-las, do ya need another reason why dating apps suck? Here’s one: A Georgia woman found a guy on a dating app — and agreed to meet him at his home on Hartford Drive in Clayton County. During their first date, the woman noticed a large amount of cash in the guy’s house. Police told 11alive.com that the woman allegedly called two of her male friends and arranged for them to rob her new love interest.

As soon the woman left, her friends showed up to swipe the man’s cash. Apparently, there was a struggle and a shooting. The man and one suspect were injured. The man wound up hospitalized after his dating app experiment went seriously off the rails.

This isn’t the first time a dating app was used to entrap and rob lovelorn Georgia men. A 23-year-old Jonesboro woman was busted last year for bringing two guys she met online (using the Plenty of Fish and Tagged apps) to her apartment on Upper Riverdale Road and then allowing her male friends to rob her potential dates at gunpoint.  One guy’s car was stolen in the caper. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    Illustration by Tray Butler   0,0,10                           THE BLOTTER: Don’t bank on it "
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  string(10378) "YOU’RE A MEAN ONE, 2020 GRINCH: In Cumming, Georgia, a man named Larry Gunter and his family decided to put up Christmas decorations a wee bit early — the week before Thanksgiving.

The Andover Glen homeowner’s association (HOA) flipped out. Because? 2020. This year, they decided to implement a new policy banning pre-December Christmas décor in the entire neighborhood. Seriously.

Larry Gunter says that policy was crafted by grinches.

Gunter is rebelling — along with his wife Bree and daughter Hanna.

“The fine is $15 a day if we keep them up until December 1st — and we are choosing to keep them up,” he told CBS46.com. Adds Bree, “If we have to pay the fine, we pay the fine. We want to be happy, we want to show cheer and joy.”

You might be wondering: Did the Gunter family go overboard with some kind of excessive Vegas-style glitzy Christmas décor outside their suburban home?

Nope.

The Gunter family’s holiday décor is tasteful and typical: Wreaths on doors and windows, strings of lights, a single stand-up plastic Santa Claus in the front yard.

Attorneys have offered their services to the Gunter family, who posted their holiday décor plight on social media. “It went crazy, we’ve been reached out (to) from people from Canada, Michigan, Ohio — it’s crazy!,” Gunter says. “They actually have a hashtag #LeaveLarryAlone.”

He adds:  “Coming home to Christmas is something special for families, for everybody — it’s part of the reason we put this up.”

2020 GA INVASION: Extra-large worms that look like snakes are invading Georgia. They’re called hammerhead worms — because their heads split into two pointy nubs similar to the heads of hammerhead sharks. They grow up to a foot long.

“It looked like an alien. It really had a strange look to it. Something I’ve never seen before,” a Gwinnett County resident told WSB-TV.

Of course, killing hammerhead worms is problematic. Why? Because these fuckers regrow their heads. Let’s say you take a shovel and dice a hammerhead worm into three parts. Days later, each of the three pieces will regrow its own head. Presto, now three hammerhead worms are prowling in your garden.

Hammerhead worms likely arrived in Georgia more than 100 years ago — via an Asian potted plant, according to WSB-TV They haven’t been seen in Georgia for decades, but made a comeback this year. Because — 2020!

So, how do you kill these head-regenerating worms? Pour a hefty amount of vinegar or salt on them. Good luck with that.




2020 NOT ENTIRELY AWFUL: In Savannah, a young nursing-school graduate showed up to her job interview in the back of a police van — with one minute to spare before her job interview was scheduled to begin.

Her interviewers watched her arrival as she climbed out of the back of a police van. They promptly asked her to explain her method of transportation.

The nursing grad says she left early from her home in Statesboro for the interview in Savannah, giving herself an extra half hour to calm her job interview jitters.

Suddenly, she got a flat tire on I-16. She started freaking out: How was she going to get to her job interview on time? She called her parents and roadside assistance — could they give her a ride? No,  not if she wanted to get there on time.

That’s when Savannah police officer Corey Wright pulled up. The nursing grad — panicked and in tears — explained her situation.

The officer told WJCL.com: “Having an interview is a very stressful enough day for you, then something goes wrong and it’s even more stressful. So I told her, ‘Don’t worry. I’ll give you a ride.’”

The nursing school grad said, “I feel like it was just a sweet act of kindness because I know I was crying when I was telling him, and I was very frantic about getting there. … This year has been a rough year, and it was nice to see an act of kindness and something good going on with everything crazy and hectic and scary that’s been going on.”

So how did the job interview go? Apparently, her interviewers were impressed with her determination. She got the job offer — and is now working there as a licensed practical nurse care coordinator.

2020 “SIGN OF THE TIMES” AWARD: In Gwinnett County, a sign outside a bakery/café reads: “We Do Not Wear a Mask; We Do Not Social Distance.” Female Employee #1 says, “I just want people to know that when they enter, that we’re not gonna be wearing them.”

Female Employee #2 tells CBS46.com that she loves the freedom of working without a mask, and that’s exactly why she recently started working at the bakery/cafe. “There’s things you can do to build your immune system that are a lot healthier than a mask … Vitamin C, Vitamin D.”

Get this: Customers are required to remove their masks before entering the bakery/cafe.

Female Employee #3 says, “I don’t want someone who has been touching their mask all day to touch my food.”

All three employees also refused to social distance inside the bakery/café.

Yes, Georgia Gov. Kemp’s executive order mandates that restaurant employees do the exact opposite of what these three nutballs are doing. We shall quote it: Restaurants and dining services must “require workers to wear face coverings while interacting with patrons and increase physical space between workers and patrons.”

And what do these three employees have to say about Gov. Kemp’s face-covering requirement for restaurant workers during this pandemic? Employee #2 says she’d rather risk her life than live her life in fear. “If the word of God is true, why are people, especially Christians, hiding in fear? The Lord promises to take care of us. We have to live in faith.”

2020 WORST BOOTY CALL: Late-night booty calls involving ex-partners = always risky. Case in point: A 25-year-old man invited his ex-girlfriend over to his apartment on Parkland Drive in the Lindbergh neighborhood. When she arrived, the ex-girlfriend was both intoxicated and belligerent. The man says his ex-girlfriend wanted to drink more tequila from a bottle he kept in his apartment. He told her no, because she was already too drunk.

So then, they have sex.

“Both were in bed when the ex-girlfriend suddenly said, ‘I love you,’” the cop noted in his police report.

And how did the 25-year-old man respond? Well, he did not say “I love you” back.

That’s when his naked ex-girlfriend started screaming and yelling. The man stepped out of his bedroom long enough to call some guy to come pick up his ex-girlfriend. But the guy caller wants to have a long phone conversation. Eventually, the 25-year-old man walks back to his bedroom: Now his naked, drunk ex-girlfriend is holding a black-and-silver handgun and she’s “waving it in the air.”

He asks her to put down the gun. Several times. At one point, the ex-girlfriend allegedly points the gun at him and says, “Watch. I’m going to do it.” So he calls 911. The naked ex-girlfriend decides to get dressed and leaves his apartment, still toting her gun, before police arrived.  But the man filed a police report about the ex-girlfriend’s naked gun threats.

Dude, was one sexy romp worth all this?

2020 DICKHEAD AWARD: About 30 people decided to hold a Black Lives Matter protest, holding up signs and standing on a street corner.

“For the most part, we were greeted with signs of support  — from honks to thumbs up!” reports one protest organizer. “Towards the end, an older (white) man drove by while yelling we were ignorant.” About two minutes later, the older white man showed up on foot at the protest — “and started using the N-word,” says the protest organizer. “Not afraid of a good fight, I let him know I wasn’t afraid of his ignorant rants. Then, he got ugly. This man got in my face and spit on me. Twice. He then yelled, ‘I have the COVID-19.’”

That wasn’t all. A fellow organizer followed the older white guy to his car, intending to snap a pic of his license plate. When the man saw him taking a photo, he shouted, “I’ll shoot you, N-lover. Why don’t you suck a N-dick?”

The older white man lives in Decatur. Yes, Decatur. The land of hemp clothes and yoga.

He wore a T-shirt that read: “Math Counts.” Along with plaid shorts and a white baseball cap.

The protest organizer posted photos of the man (and his license plate) on Facebook. “I have called the police,” he says. “This man belongs in jail.”

2020 ROLL FRENZY: In a flash during the spring of 2020, all of Atlanta’s population became obsessed with one thing: Wiping their ass. And consumed with fear over supplies running out for said ass-wiping. Toilet-paper thievery reports suddenly surged past reports of more conventionally appealing items for bandits, like flat-screen TVs. And it wasn’t just experienced robbers with TP on the brain: A seemingly sane and wholesome-looking elderly grandfather allegedly knocked innocent children to the ground for a single roll of Quilted Northern Ultra-Plush.

Grocery store parking lots across ATL abruptly transformed into bitch-slap combat zones, one pitting a suburban housewife against a bearded urban hipster with a man bun — with both sides madly wrestling over 18-packs of Charmin Ultra-Soft 2-Ply Mega Rolls.

And of course, it wasn’t just ATL. More than 3,000 miles away, the police department in Newport, Oregon, got fed up with fielding “emergency” calls over toilet-paper shortages. “It’s hard to believe that we even have to post this,” Newport police wrote on Facebook. “Do not call 9-1-1 just because you ran out of toilet paper. You will survive without our assistance. In fact, history offers you many other options in your time of need if you cannot find a roll: Mayans used corncobs … Farmers used pages from the Farmers Almanac.” The police post goes on to suggest “grocery receipts, newspaper, cloth rags, lace, cotton balls, and that empty toilet paper roll sitting in front of you … Just don’t call 9-1-1. We cannot bring you toilet paper.”

Humanity still hasn’t recovered. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
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The Andover Glen homeowner’s association (HOA) flipped out. Because? 2020. This year, they decided to implement a new policy banning pre-December Christmas décor in the entire neighborhood. Seriously.

Larry Gunter says that policy was crafted by grinches.

Gunter is rebelling — along with his wife Bree and daughter Hanna.

“The fine is $15 a day if we keep them up until December 1st — and we are choosing to keep them up,” he told CBS46.com. Adds Bree, “If we have to pay the fine, we pay the fine. We want to be happy, we want to show cheer and joy.”

You might be wondering: Did the Gunter family go overboard with some kind of excessive Vegas-style glitzy Christmas décor outside their suburban home?

Nope.

The Gunter family’s holiday décor is tasteful and typical: Wreaths on doors and windows, strings of lights, a single stand-up plastic Santa Claus in the front yard.

Attorneys have offered their services to the Gunter family, who posted their holiday décor plight on social media. “It went crazy, we’ve been reached out (to) from people from Canada, Michigan, Ohio — it’s crazy!,” Gunter says. “They actually have a hashtag #LeaveLarryAlone.”

He adds:  “Coming home to Christmas is something special for families, for everybody — it’s part of the reason we put this up.”

__2020 GA INVASION:__ Extra-large worms that look like snakes are invading Georgia. They’re called hammerhead worms — because their heads split into two pointy nubs similar to the heads of hammerhead sharks. They grow up to a foot long.

“It looked like an alien. It really had a strange look to it. Something I’ve never seen before,” a Gwinnett County resident told WSB-TV.

Of course, killing hammerhead worms is problematic. Why? Because these fuckers ''regrow their heads''. Let’s say you take a shovel and dice a hammerhead worm into three parts. Days later, each of the three pieces will regrow its own head. Presto, now three hammerhead worms are prowling in your garden.

Hammerhead worms likely arrived in Georgia more than 100 years ago — via an Asian potted plant, according to WSB-TV They haven’t been seen in Georgia for decades, but made a comeback this year. Because — 2020!

So, how do you kill these head-regenerating worms? Pour a hefty amount of vinegar or salt on them. Good luck with that.




__2020 NOT ENTIRELY AWFUL:__ In Savannah, a young nursing-school graduate showed up to her job interview in the back of a police van — with one minute to spare before her job interview was scheduled to begin.

Her interviewers watched her arrival as she climbed out of the back of a police van. They promptly asked her to explain her method of transportation.

The nursing grad says she left early from her home in Statesboro for the interview in Savannah, giving herself an extra half hour to calm her job interview jitters.

Suddenly, she got a flat tire on I-16. She started freaking out: How was she going to get to her job interview on time? She called her parents and roadside assistance — could they give her a ride? No,  not if she wanted to get there on time.

That’s when Savannah police officer Corey Wright pulled up. The nursing grad — panicked and in tears — explained her situation.

The officer told WJCL.com: “Having an interview is a very stressful enough day for you, then something goes wrong and it’s even more stressful. So I told her, ‘Don’t worry. I’ll give you a ride.’”

The nursing school grad said, “I feel like it was just a sweet act of kindness because I know I was crying when I was telling him, and I was very frantic about getting there. … This year has been a rough year, and it was nice to see an act of kindness and something good going on with everything crazy and hectic and scary that’s been going on.”

So how did the job interview go? Apparently, her interviewers were impressed with her determination. She got the job offer — and is now working there as a licensed practical nurse care coordinator.

__2020 “SIGN OF THE TIMES” AWARD:__ In Gwinnett County, a sign outside a bakery/café reads: “We Do Not Wear a Mask; We Do Not Social Distance.” Female Employee #1 says, “I just want people to know that when they enter, that we’re not gonna be wearing them.”

Female Employee #2 tells CBS46.com that she loves the freedom of working without a mask, and that’s exactly why she recently started working at the bakery/cafe. “There’s things you can do to build your immune system that are a lot healthier than a mask … Vitamin C, Vitamin D.”

Get this: ''Customers'' are required to ''remove their masks'' before entering the bakery/cafe.

Female Employee #3 says, “I don’t want someone who has been touching their mask all day to touch my food.”

All three employees also refused to social distance inside the bakery/café.

Yes, Georgia Gov. Kemp’s executive order mandates that restaurant employees do the exact opposite of what these three nutballs are doing. We shall quote it: Restaurants and dining services must “require workers to wear face coverings while interacting with patrons and increase physical space between workers and patrons.”

And what do these three employees have to say about Gov. Kemp’s face-covering requirement for restaurant workers during this pandemic? Employee #2 says she’d rather risk her life than live her life in fear. “If the word of God is true, why are people, especially Christians, hiding in fear? The Lord promises to take care of us. We have to live in faith.”

__2020 WORST BOOTY CALL:__ Late-night booty calls involving ex-partners = always risky. Case in point: A 25-year-old man invited his ex-girlfriend over to his apartment on Parkland Drive in the Lindbergh neighborhood. When she arrived, the ex-girlfriend was both intoxicated and belligerent. The man says his ex-girlfriend wanted to drink more tequila from a bottle he kept in his apartment. He told her no, because she was already too drunk.

So then, they have sex.

“Both were in bed when the ex-girlfriend suddenly said, ‘I love you,’” the cop noted in his police report.

And how did the 25-year-old man respond? Well, he did not say “I love you” back.

That’s when his naked ex-girlfriend started screaming and yelling. The man stepped out of his bedroom long enough to call some guy to come pick up his ex-girlfriend. But the guy caller wants to have a long phone conversation. Eventually, the 25-year-old man walks back to his bedroom: Now his naked, drunk ex-girlfriend is holding a black-and-silver handgun and she’s “waving it in the air.”

He asks her to put down the gun. Several times. At one point, the ex-girlfriend allegedly points the gun at him and says, “Watch. I’m going to do it.” So he calls 911. The naked ex-girlfriend decides to get dressed and leaves his apartment, still toting her gun, before police arrived.  But the man filed a police report about the ex-girlfriend’s naked gun threats.

Dude, was ''one sexy romp'' worth all this?

__2020 DICKHEAD AWARD:__ About 30 people decided to hold a Black Lives Matter protest, holding up signs and standing on a street corner.

“For the most part, we were greeted with signs of support  — from honks to thumbs up!” reports one protest organizer. “Towards the end, an older (white) man drove by while yelling we were ignorant.” About two minutes later, the older white man showed up on foot at the protest — “and started using the N-word,” says the protest organizer. “Not afraid of a good fight, I let him know I wasn’t afraid of his ignorant rants. Then, he got ugly. This man got in my face and spit on me. Twice. He then yelled, ‘I have the COVID-19.’”

That wasn’t all. A fellow organizer followed the older white guy to his car, intending to snap a pic of his license plate. When the man saw him taking a photo, he shouted, “I’ll shoot you, N-lover. Why don’t you suck a N-dick?”

The older white man lives in Decatur. Yes, Decatur. The land of hemp clothes and yoga.

He wore a T-shirt that read: “Math Counts.” Along with plaid shorts and a white baseball cap.

The protest organizer posted photos of the man (and his license plate) on Facebook. “I have called the police,” he says. “This man belongs in jail.”

__2020 ROLL FRENZY:__ In a flash during the spring of 2020, all of Atlanta’s population became obsessed with one thing: Wiping their ass. And consumed with fear over supplies running out for said ass-wiping. Toilet-paper thievery reports suddenly surged past reports of more conventionally appealing items for bandits, like flat-screen TVs. And it wasn’t just experienced robbers with TP on the brain: A seemingly sane and wholesome-looking elderly grandfather allegedly knocked innocent children to the ground for a single roll of Quilted Northern Ultra-Plush.

Grocery store parking lots across ATL abruptly transformed into bitch-slap combat zones, one pitting a suburban housewife against a bearded urban hipster with a man bun — with both sides madly wrestling over 18-packs of Charmin Ultra-Soft 2-Ply Mega Rolls.

And of course, it wasn’t just ATL. More than 3,000 miles away, the police department in Newport, Oregon, got fed up with fielding “emergency” calls over toilet-paper shortages. “It’s hard to believe that we even have to post this,” Newport police wrote on Facebook. “Do not call 9-1-1 just because you ran out of toilet paper. You will survive without our assistance. In fact, history offers you many other options in your time of need if you cannot find a roll: Mayans used corncobs … Farmers used pages from the Farmers Almanac.” The police post goes on to suggest “grocery receipts, newspaper, cloth rags, lace, cotton balls, and that empty toilet paper roll sitting in front of you … Just don’t call 9-1-1. We cannot bring you toilet paper.”

Humanity still hasn’t recovered. __—CL—__

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  string(10854) " DEC Blotter Year Review 01 Web  2020-12-07T17:57:06+00:00 DEC_Blotter-year-review-01_web.jpg     theblotter And other stories of life in the ATL from the past year DEC Blotter Year Review 01 Web   2020-12-07T17:48:08+00:00  THE BLOTTER: ‘You’re a mean one, 2020’ jim.harris Jim Harris Lauren Keating lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2020-12-07T17:48:08+00:00 YOU’RE A MEAN ONE, 2020 GRINCH: In Cumming, Georgia, a man named Larry Gunter and his family decided to put up Christmas decorations a wee bit early — the week before Thanksgiving.

The Andover Glen homeowner’s association (HOA) flipped out. Because? 2020. This year, they decided to implement a new policy banning pre-December Christmas décor in the entire neighborhood. Seriously.

Larry Gunter says that policy was crafted by grinches.

Gunter is rebelling — along with his wife Bree and daughter Hanna.

“The fine is $15 a day if we keep them up until December 1st — and we are choosing to keep them up,” he told CBS46.com. Adds Bree, “If we have to pay the fine, we pay the fine. We want to be happy, we want to show cheer and joy.”

You might be wondering: Did the Gunter family go overboard with some kind of excessive Vegas-style glitzy Christmas décor outside their suburban home?

Nope.

The Gunter family’s holiday décor is tasteful and typical: Wreaths on doors and windows, strings of lights, a single stand-up plastic Santa Claus in the front yard.

Attorneys have offered their services to the Gunter family, who posted their holiday décor plight on social media. “It went crazy, we’ve been reached out (to) from people from Canada, Michigan, Ohio — it’s crazy!,” Gunter says. “They actually have a hashtag #LeaveLarryAlone.”

He adds:  “Coming home to Christmas is something special for families, for everybody — it’s part of the reason we put this up.”

2020 GA INVASION: Extra-large worms that look like snakes are invading Georgia. They’re called hammerhead worms — because their heads split into two pointy nubs similar to the heads of hammerhead sharks. They grow up to a foot long.

“It looked like an alien. It really had a strange look to it. Something I’ve never seen before,” a Gwinnett County resident told WSB-TV.

Of course, killing hammerhead worms is problematic. Why? Because these fuckers regrow their heads. Let’s say you take a shovel and dice a hammerhead worm into three parts. Days later, each of the three pieces will regrow its own head. Presto, now three hammerhead worms are prowling in your garden.

Hammerhead worms likely arrived in Georgia more than 100 years ago — via an Asian potted plant, according to WSB-TV They haven’t been seen in Georgia for decades, but made a comeback this year. Because — 2020!

So, how do you kill these head-regenerating worms? Pour a hefty amount of vinegar or salt on them. Good luck with that.




2020 NOT ENTIRELY AWFUL: In Savannah, a young nursing-school graduate showed up to her job interview in the back of a police van — with one minute to spare before her job interview was scheduled to begin.

Her interviewers watched her arrival as she climbed out of the back of a police van. They promptly asked her to explain her method of transportation.

The nursing grad says she left early from her home in Statesboro for the interview in Savannah, giving herself an extra half hour to calm her job interview jitters.

Suddenly, she got a flat tire on I-16. She started freaking out: How was she going to get to her job interview on time? She called her parents and roadside assistance — could they give her a ride? No,  not if she wanted to get there on time.

That’s when Savannah police officer Corey Wright pulled up. The nursing grad — panicked and in tears — explained her situation.

The officer told WJCL.com: “Having an interview is a very stressful enough day for you, then something goes wrong and it’s even more stressful. So I told her, ‘Don’t worry. I’ll give you a ride.’”

The nursing school grad said, “I feel like it was just a sweet act of kindness because I know I was crying when I was telling him, and I was very frantic about getting there. … This year has been a rough year, and it was nice to see an act of kindness and something good going on with everything crazy and hectic and scary that’s been going on.”

So how did the job interview go? Apparently, her interviewers were impressed with her determination. She got the job offer — and is now working there as a licensed practical nurse care coordinator.

2020 “SIGN OF THE TIMES” AWARD: In Gwinnett County, a sign outside a bakery/café reads: “We Do Not Wear a Mask; We Do Not Social Distance.” Female Employee #1 says, “I just want people to know that when they enter, that we’re not gonna be wearing them.”

Female Employee #2 tells CBS46.com that she loves the freedom of working without a mask, and that’s exactly why she recently started working at the bakery/cafe. “There’s things you can do to build your immune system that are a lot healthier than a mask … Vitamin C, Vitamin D.”

Get this: Customers are required to remove their masks before entering the bakery/cafe.

Female Employee #3 says, “I don’t want someone who has been touching their mask all day to touch my food.”

All three employees also refused to social distance inside the bakery/café.

Yes, Georgia Gov. Kemp’s executive order mandates that restaurant employees do the exact opposite of what these three nutballs are doing. We shall quote it: Restaurants and dining services must “require workers to wear face coverings while interacting with patrons and increase physical space between workers and patrons.”

And what do these three employees have to say about Gov. Kemp’s face-covering requirement for restaurant workers during this pandemic? Employee #2 says she’d rather risk her life than live her life in fear. “If the word of God is true, why are people, especially Christians, hiding in fear? The Lord promises to take care of us. We have to live in faith.”

2020 WORST BOOTY CALL: Late-night booty calls involving ex-partners = always risky. Case in point: A 25-year-old man invited his ex-girlfriend over to his apartment on Parkland Drive in the Lindbergh neighborhood. When she arrived, the ex-girlfriend was both intoxicated and belligerent. The man says his ex-girlfriend wanted to drink more tequila from a bottle he kept in his apartment. He told her no, because she was already too drunk.

So then, they have sex.

“Both were in bed when the ex-girlfriend suddenly said, ‘I love you,’” the cop noted in his police report.

And how did the 25-year-old man respond? Well, he did not say “I love you” back.

That’s when his naked ex-girlfriend started screaming and yelling. The man stepped out of his bedroom long enough to call some guy to come pick up his ex-girlfriend. But the guy caller wants to have a long phone conversation. Eventually, the 25-year-old man walks back to his bedroom: Now his naked, drunk ex-girlfriend is holding a black-and-silver handgun and she’s “waving it in the air.”

He asks her to put down the gun. Several times. At one point, the ex-girlfriend allegedly points the gun at him and says, “Watch. I’m going to do it.” So he calls 911. The naked ex-girlfriend decides to get dressed and leaves his apartment, still toting her gun, before police arrived.  But the man filed a police report about the ex-girlfriend’s naked gun threats.

Dude, was one sexy romp worth all this?

2020 DICKHEAD AWARD: About 30 people decided to hold a Black Lives Matter protest, holding up signs and standing on a street corner.

“For the most part, we were greeted with signs of support  — from honks to thumbs up!” reports one protest organizer. “Towards the end, an older (white) man drove by while yelling we were ignorant.” About two minutes later, the older white man showed up on foot at the protest — “and started using the N-word,” says the protest organizer. “Not afraid of a good fight, I let him know I wasn’t afraid of his ignorant rants. Then, he got ugly. This man got in my face and spit on me. Twice. He then yelled, ‘I have the COVID-19.’”

That wasn’t all. A fellow organizer followed the older white guy to his car, intending to snap a pic of his license plate. When the man saw him taking a photo, he shouted, “I’ll shoot you, N-lover. Why don’t you suck a N-dick?”

The older white man lives in Decatur. Yes, Decatur. The land of hemp clothes and yoga.

He wore a T-shirt that read: “Math Counts.” Along with plaid shorts and a white baseball cap.

The protest organizer posted photos of the man (and his license plate) on Facebook. “I have called the police,” he says. “This man belongs in jail.”

2020 ROLL FRENZY: In a flash during the spring of 2020, all of Atlanta’s population became obsessed with one thing: Wiping their ass. And consumed with fear over supplies running out for said ass-wiping. Toilet-paper thievery reports suddenly surged past reports of more conventionally appealing items for bandits, like flat-screen TVs. And it wasn’t just experienced robbers with TP on the brain: A seemingly sane and wholesome-looking elderly grandfather allegedly knocked innocent children to the ground for a single roll of Quilted Northern Ultra-Plush.

Grocery store parking lots across ATL abruptly transformed into bitch-slap combat zones, one pitting a suburban housewife against a bearded urban hipster with a man bun — with both sides madly wrestling over 18-packs of Charmin Ultra-Soft 2-Ply Mega Rolls.

And of course, it wasn’t just ATL. More than 3,000 miles away, the police department in Newport, Oregon, got fed up with fielding “emergency” calls over toilet-paper shortages. “It’s hard to believe that we even have to post this,” Newport police wrote on Facebook. “Do not call 9-1-1 just because you ran out of toilet paper. You will survive without our assistance. In fact, history offers you many other options in your time of need if you cannot find a roll: Mayans used corncobs … Farmers used pages from the Farmers Almanac.” The police post goes on to suggest “grocery receipts, newspaper, cloth rags, lace, cotton balls, and that empty toilet paper roll sitting in front of you … Just don’t call 9-1-1. We cannot bring you toilet paper.”

Humanity still hasn’t recovered. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    Tray Butler   0,0,10    theblotter                       THE BLOTTER: ‘You’re a mean one, 2020’ "
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  string(7032) "An Atlanta rapper was driving his white Ferrari more than 150+ mph on the I-75/85 Downtown Connecter near University Avenue. An officer started following the rapper’s Ferrari after spotting it speeding and weaving in and out of traffic on the interstate. 

Police pulled over the 23-year-old rapper and arrested him on charges of reckless driving and speeding, according to WSB-TV. The rapper went to Atlanta City Jail … and his Ferrari was handed over to a friend. The white Ferrari was about a month old — a gift to the rapper on his 23rd birthday in August from music mogul Quality Control CEO Pierre “Pee” Thomas, according to AJC.com.

Oddly, the rapper’s arrest happened almost exactly two months after the rapper crashed his red Ferrari in the same spot: on the Downtown Connector near University Avenue. The rapper was driving his 2020 red Ferrari 448 on I-75/85 going north when he lost control on the wet road, hit the median concrete wall, “then spun across seven lanes of traffic before hitting the right concrete wall,” the AJC writes. His car  came to a stop in the emergency lane and the seventh lane — causing major delays on I-75/85 during rush hour. 

The rapper said he didn’t remember anything after losing control of his Ferrari (worth at least $330,000). Witnesses told WSB-TV that the rapper was driving at a “high rate of speed.” The rapper was not seriously hurt in the crash — but the red Ferrari was totaled.

The rapper addressed his recent speeding sprees on TikTok: “Well, we’ve come to this. Yeah. It happened… Slow down, kids.”

REPTILE DYSFUNCTION: A four-foot snake ate a large lunch and wriggled his way on over to a gas station in Cherokee County. The snake slithered up to Pump 8 — and that’s when a customer called 911, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

“But before Animal Control could dispatch a snake wrangler,” a Cherokee County law enforcement officer named Captain Jay Baker took action and “grabbed the wayward reptile and put it in an empty pillowcase he carries in his patrol car.”

“It was obvious that the snake had just eaten something rather large,” Captain Baker told AJC.com. He took the snake to some woods about a mile away and set it free. The snake quickly regurgitated his lunch — apparently a rat — and slithered away.

Captain Baker has a lifelong fondness for catching snakes — it’s the reason he keeps that special pillowcase for snake-wrangling in his patrol car. That snake was the 23rd of the year that Baker has captured and relocated. “If there’s a snake call, I’m gonna go to it if I’m close.” 

Captain Baker’s snake obsession started when he was a child. He told the Cherokee Tribune Ledger in 2016: “To this day, if I see a snake anywhere, I have an uncontrollable urge to catch it.” Thus, some in the community call him “The Snake Whisperer.” 

ACCELERATE YOUR LIFE: Another Atlanta rapper was arrested around 3 a.m. for driving 143+ mph on I-85 in DeKalb County, according to a police report.

An officer pulled over the 22-year-old rapper on Clairmont Road and asked him why he was driving his white BMW SUV so fast. 

The rapper said he was coming from Gwinnett County and “people were following him, and that he left from the club,” the officer wrote in the report obtained by WSB-TV.

Apparently, the officer and the rapper argued about how fast the rapper had been driving — and the rapper insisted he’d done nothing wrong.

Eventually, the rapper said he was speeding because he gets followed wherever he goes. 

“He stated, ‘If there is like 10 cars following me, I can do 143 because I am not a regular person, and you could go and look on your computer, and it would tell you that,” the officer wrote.

The rapper said he was returning from a Gwinnett club visit to promote his new song.

The Atlanta rapper was arrested for reckless driving, speeding, failure to maintain lane, and improper stopping, according to WSB-TV. 

SIZE MATTERS: A witty woman wrote this on Facebook to alert her neighbors in Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood.

“Several weeks ago, I posted about a person who keeps putting Trump stickers on the communal trash can outside my house. We had three go-arounds in which I removed the stickers, crumbled them, and threw them away — only to see them back on the trash can several days later. And then suddenly it stopped.

“Well, this person is back. But like the Trump campaign itself, his absurdly tiny hands, his inability to form full sentences, and finally his dwindling ‘career’ in public office, so too have the stickers decreased pathetically in size.

“In fact, they’re so small (think the size of a stamp) that I found myself  ‘Oh bless their heart’-ing as I carefully picked each one off, squeezed the tiny sad baby sticker between my normal-sized hands, and threw it again in the trash can.”

ASSHOLE OF THE MONTH: A 41-year-old Duluth man will spend a year and a day in prison after trying to sabotage PPE shipments of a company that fired him, disrupting shipments at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of North Georgia, the 41-year-old man caused more than $200,000 in damages. Three days after getting his last paycheck, the man “used a fake user account that he had previously created while still employed at the company to log into the company’s computer systems.”

Apparently, the man deleted 2,000 files and altered 115,000 records.

“The edits and deletions to the company’s records disrupted the company’s shipping processes, causing delays in the delivery of much-needed PPEs to healthcare providers,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

WIGGED OUT: Just when you think 2020 can’t get any weirder…. CBS46.com reports that poisonous “puss” caterpillars are on the move in Georgia.

Puss caterpillars are hairy and dangerous. A UGA professor of entomology explains: “Puss caterpillars are named after pussy cats because they’re so fuzzy, they look adorable, you want to pet them — but don’t you dare, because hiding under that fuzz is hollow hair” containing venom strong enough to send its victim to the ER.

What happens if you come into contact with one of these puss caterpillars? Some people report feeling as if their limbs are on fire, notes CBS46.com, adding: “Right now the hairy wrigglers are on the move, as they’ve fattened up over summer and are getting ready to turn into moths.”

Another expert tells Forsyth County News, “If you are doing any kind of gardening or picking fruit, it is something to be aware of. They look like a little wig walking.”

Apparently, the excruciating pain from a puss caterpillar sting lasts for about 12 hours.

C’mon, 2020. Enough! —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words."
  ["tracker_field_contentWikiPage_raw"]=>
  string(7084) "An Atlanta rapper was driving his white Ferrari more than 150+ mph on the I-75/85 Downtown Connecter near University Avenue. An officer started following the rapper’s Ferrari after spotting it speeding and weaving in and out of traffic on the interstate. 

Police pulled over the 23-year-old rapper and arrested him on charges of reckless driving and speeding, according to WSB-TV. The rapper went to Atlanta City Jail … and his Ferrari was handed over to a friend. The white Ferrari was about a month old — a gift to the rapper on his 23rd birthday in August from music mogul Quality Control CEO Pierre “Pee” Thomas, according to AJC.com.

Oddly, the rapper’s arrest happened almost exactly two months after the rapper crashed his ''red'' Ferrari ''in the same spot:'' on the Downtown Connector near University Avenue. The rapper was driving his 2020 red Ferrari 448 on I-75/85 going north when he lost control on the wet road, hit the median concrete wall, “then spun across seven lanes of traffic before hitting the right concrete wall,” the ''AJC'' writes. His car  came to a stop in the emergency lane and the seventh lane — causing major delays on I-75/85 during rush hour. 

The rapper said he didn’t remember anything after losing control of his Ferrari (worth at least $330,000). Witnesses told WSB-TV that the rapper was driving at a “high rate of speed.” The rapper was not seriously hurt in the crash — but the red Ferrari was totaled.

The rapper addressed his recent speeding sprees on TikTok: “Well, we’ve come to this. Yeah. It happened… Slow down, kids.”

__REPTILE DYSFUNCTION:__ A four-foot snake ate a large lunch and wriggled his way on over to a gas station in Cherokee County. The snake slithered up to Pump 8 — and that’s when a customer called 911, according to the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution''. 

“But before Animal Control could dispatch a snake wrangler,” a Cherokee County law enforcement officer named Captain Jay Baker took action and “grabbed the wayward reptile and put it in an empty pillowcase he carries in his patrol car.”

“It was obvious that the snake had just eaten something rather large,” Captain Baker told AJC.com. He took the snake to some woods about a mile away and set it free. The snake quickly regurgitated his lunch — apparently a rat — and slithered away.

Captain Baker has a lifelong fondness for catching snakes — it’s the reason he keeps that special pillowcase for snake-wrangling in his patrol car. That snake was the 23rd of the year that Baker has captured and relocated. “If there’s a snake call, I’m gonna go to it if I’m close.” 

Captain Baker’s snake obsession started when he was a child. He told the ''Cherokee Tribune Ledger'' in 2016: “To this day, if I see a snake anywhere, I have an uncontrollable urge to catch it.” Thus, some in the community call him “The Snake Whisperer.” 

__ACCELERATE YOUR LIFE:__ Another Atlanta rapper was arrested around 3 a.m. for driving 143+ mph on I-85 in DeKalb County, according to a police report.

An officer pulled over the 22-year-old rapper on Clairmont Road and asked him why he was driving his white BMW SUV so fast. 

The rapper said he was coming from Gwinnett County and “people were following him, and that he left from the club,” the officer wrote in the report obtained by WSB-TV.

Apparently, the officer and the rapper argued about how fast the rapper had been driving — and the rapper insisted he’d done nothing wrong.

Eventually, the rapper said he was speeding because he gets followed wherever he goes. 

“He stated, ‘If there is like 10 cars following me, I can do 143 because I am not a regular person, and you could go and look on your computer, and it would tell you that,” the officer wrote.

The rapper said he was returning from a Gwinnett club visit to promote his new song.

The Atlanta rapper was arrested for reckless driving, speeding, failure to maintain lane, and improper stopping, according to WSB-TV. 

__SIZE MATTERS:__ A witty woman wrote this on Facebook to alert her neighbors in Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood.

“Several weeks ago, I posted about a person who keeps putting Trump stickers on the communal trash can outside my house. We had three go-arounds in which I removed the stickers, crumbled them, and threw them away — only to see them back on the trash can several days later. And then suddenly it stopped.

“Well, this person is back. But like the Trump campaign itself, his absurdly tiny hands, his inability to form full sentences, and finally his dwindling ‘career’ in public office, so too have the stickers decreased pathetically in size.

“In fact, they’re so small (think the size of a stamp) that I found myself  ‘Oh bless their heart’-ing as I carefully picked each one off, squeezed the tiny sad baby sticker between my normal-sized hands, and threw it again in the trash can.”

__ASSHOLE OF THE MONTH:__ A 41-year-old Duluth man will spend a year and a day in prison after trying to sabotage PPE shipments of a company that fired him, disrupting shipments at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of North Georgia, the 41-year-old man caused more than $200,000 in damages. Three days after getting his last paycheck, the man “used a fake user account that he had previously created while still employed at the company to log into the company’s computer systems.”

Apparently, the man deleted 2,000 files and altered 115,000 records.

“The edits and deletions to the company’s records disrupted the company’s shipping processes, causing delays in the delivery of much-needed PPEs to healthcare providers,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

__WIGGED OUT:__ Just when you think 2020 can’t get any weirder…. CBS46.com reports that poisonous “puss” caterpillars are on the move in Georgia.

Puss caterpillars are hairy and dangerous. A UGA professor of entomology explains: “Puss caterpillars are named after pussy cats because they’re so fuzzy, they look adorable, you want to pet them — but don’t you dare, because hiding under that fuzz is hollow hair” containing venom strong enough to send its victim to the ER.

What happens if you come into contact with one of these puss caterpillars? Some people report feeling as if their limbs are on fire, notes CBS46.com, adding: “Right now the hairy wrigglers are on the move, as they’ve fattened up over summer and are getting ready to turn into moths.”

Another expert tells Forsyth County News, “If you are doing any kind of gardening or picking fruit, it is something to be aware of. They look like a little wig walking.”

Apparently, the excruciating pain from a puss caterpillar sting lasts for about 12 hours.

C’mon, 2020. ''Enough!'' __—CL—__

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  string(7482) " 1120blot Ferrari 01 Resized Web  2020-11-08T19:58:35+00:00 1120blot-ferrari-01_resized_web.jpg     theblotter And other tales of life in the ATL 1120blot Ferrari 01 Resized Web   2020-11-08T19:59:16+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Speed Racer, Deuce! jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2020-11-08T19:59:16+00:00 An Atlanta rapper was driving his white Ferrari more than 150+ mph on the I-75/85 Downtown Connecter near University Avenue. An officer started following the rapper’s Ferrari after spotting it speeding and weaving in and out of traffic on the interstate. 

Police pulled over the 23-year-old rapper and arrested him on charges of reckless driving and speeding, according to WSB-TV. The rapper went to Atlanta City Jail … and his Ferrari was handed over to a friend. The white Ferrari was about a month old — a gift to the rapper on his 23rd birthday in August from music mogul Quality Control CEO Pierre “Pee” Thomas, according to AJC.com.

Oddly, the rapper’s arrest happened almost exactly two months after the rapper crashed his red Ferrari in the same spot: on the Downtown Connector near University Avenue. The rapper was driving his 2020 red Ferrari 448 on I-75/85 going north when he lost control on the wet road, hit the median concrete wall, “then spun across seven lanes of traffic before hitting the right concrete wall,” the AJC writes. His car  came to a stop in the emergency lane and the seventh lane — causing major delays on I-75/85 during rush hour. 

The rapper said he didn’t remember anything after losing control of his Ferrari (worth at least $330,000). Witnesses told WSB-TV that the rapper was driving at a “high rate of speed.” The rapper was not seriously hurt in the crash — but the red Ferrari was totaled.

The rapper addressed his recent speeding sprees on TikTok: “Well, we’ve come to this. Yeah. It happened… Slow down, kids.”

REPTILE DYSFUNCTION: A four-foot snake ate a large lunch and wriggled his way on over to a gas station in Cherokee County. The snake slithered up to Pump 8 — and that’s when a customer called 911, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

“But before Animal Control could dispatch a snake wrangler,” a Cherokee County law enforcement officer named Captain Jay Baker took action and “grabbed the wayward reptile and put it in an empty pillowcase he carries in his patrol car.”

“It was obvious that the snake had just eaten something rather large,” Captain Baker told AJC.com. He took the snake to some woods about a mile away and set it free. The snake quickly regurgitated his lunch — apparently a rat — and slithered away.

Captain Baker has a lifelong fondness for catching snakes — it’s the reason he keeps that special pillowcase for snake-wrangling in his patrol car. That snake was the 23rd of the year that Baker has captured and relocated. “If there’s a snake call, I’m gonna go to it if I’m close.” 

Captain Baker’s snake obsession started when he was a child. He told the Cherokee Tribune Ledger in 2016: “To this day, if I see a snake anywhere, I have an uncontrollable urge to catch it.” Thus, some in the community call him “The Snake Whisperer.” 

ACCELERATE YOUR LIFE: Another Atlanta rapper was arrested around 3 a.m. for driving 143+ mph on I-85 in DeKalb County, according to a police report.

An officer pulled over the 22-year-old rapper on Clairmont Road and asked him why he was driving his white BMW SUV so fast. 

The rapper said he was coming from Gwinnett County and “people were following him, and that he left from the club,” the officer wrote in the report obtained by WSB-TV.

Apparently, the officer and the rapper argued about how fast the rapper had been driving — and the rapper insisted he’d done nothing wrong.

Eventually, the rapper said he was speeding because he gets followed wherever he goes. 

“He stated, ‘If there is like 10 cars following me, I can do 143 because I am not a regular person, and you could go and look on your computer, and it would tell you that,” the officer wrote.

The rapper said he was returning from a Gwinnett club visit to promote his new song.

The Atlanta rapper was arrested for reckless driving, speeding, failure to maintain lane, and improper stopping, according to WSB-TV. 

SIZE MATTERS: A witty woman wrote this on Facebook to alert her neighbors in Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood.

“Several weeks ago, I posted about a person who keeps putting Trump stickers on the communal trash can outside my house. We had three go-arounds in which I removed the stickers, crumbled them, and threw them away — only to see them back on the trash can several days later. And then suddenly it stopped.

“Well, this person is back. But like the Trump campaign itself, his absurdly tiny hands, his inability to form full sentences, and finally his dwindling ‘career’ in public office, so too have the stickers decreased pathetically in size.

“In fact, they’re so small (think the size of a stamp) that I found myself  ‘Oh bless their heart’-ing as I carefully picked each one off, squeezed the tiny sad baby sticker between my normal-sized hands, and threw it again in the trash can.”

ASSHOLE OF THE MONTH: A 41-year-old Duluth man will spend a year and a day in prison after trying to sabotage PPE shipments of a company that fired him, disrupting shipments at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of North Georgia, the 41-year-old man caused more than $200,000 in damages. Three days after getting his last paycheck, the man “used a fake user account that he had previously created while still employed at the company to log into the company’s computer systems.”

Apparently, the man deleted 2,000 files and altered 115,000 records.

“The edits and deletions to the company’s records disrupted the company’s shipping processes, causing delays in the delivery of much-needed PPEs to healthcare providers,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

WIGGED OUT: Just when you think 2020 can’t get any weirder…. CBS46.com reports that poisonous “puss” caterpillars are on the move in Georgia.

Puss caterpillars are hairy and dangerous. A UGA professor of entomology explains: “Puss caterpillars are named after pussy cats because they’re so fuzzy, they look adorable, you want to pet them — but don’t you dare, because hiding under that fuzz is hollow hair” containing venom strong enough to send its victim to the ER.

What happens if you come into contact with one of these puss caterpillars? Some people report feeling as if their limbs are on fire, notes CBS46.com, adding: “Right now the hairy wrigglers are on the move, as they’ve fattened up over summer and are getting ready to turn into moths.”

Another expert tells Forsyth County News, “If you are doing any kind of gardening or picking fruit, it is something to be aware of. They look like a little wig walking.”

Apparently, the excruciating pain from a puss caterpillar sting lasts for about 12 hours.

C’mon, 2020. Enough! —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    Illustration by Tray Butler   0,0,10    theblotter                       THE BLOTTER: Speed Racer, Deuce! "
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  string(6992) "WET AND WILD: A sheriff’s department had some amusing (and obviously fake) advice for how Georgia drivers should handle rain.

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Department posted the advice on Facebook after heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Sally moved through.

“Y’all are doing a pretty good job driving in the relentless rain, but as always some of y’all don’t get it. Headlights. Who needs ‘em?” deputies wrote. “Turn them OFF in the driving rain and drive in stealth mode. Two or three of you had your lights on this morning like losers. Stop it.”

The sarcastic post also mocked drivers going too fast on wet roads.

“Hydroplaning can only occur if you are going faster than 35 mph. How fast can you go? Faster means you will be the first to the scene of the crash,” the post read. “Don’t settle for second place.”

The post also compared Atlanta drivers to NASCAR racers: “NASCAR runs bald tires so you should too. Those wimps don’t even race in the rain either. Dale (Earnhardt) Junior is ashamed of y’all.”

GET YOUR BOOTY TO THE POLL: How important is the upcoming election? Just ask Atlanta’s strip club dancers — who banded together to produce a sassy, sexy PSA encouraging Atlantans to get out the vote. There’s plenty of spicy booty shots in the 1:30 clip — with the words “One” and “Vote” prominently displayed on strippers’ derrieres. The entire video includes lots of stripper-pole dancing, awesome and skimpy outfits … and some wise words on the value of every individual vote. 

One hot stripper says, “If your vote didn’t matter there wouldn’t be so many people trying to discourage you from casting it. We have the power to create the change we want to see, and we can do that by voting for people who we trust to prioritize our interests and concerns. Go vote!”

Atlanta strippers also started a website encouraging people to vote. getyourbootytothepoll.com features online resources for registering, researching candidates, and voting in the upcoming election. 

HOME-SCHOOL SURVIVAL ACCESSORIES: Parents appearing half-dressed, drinking, or smoking during their kids’ virtual classrooms has prompted teachers at Boca Raton Elementary in Florida to speak up during a school board meeting.

“Parents, please make sure that you have on proper clothing when you are walking behind your child’s computer, because we’ve seen them in their drawers, their bras, and everything else,” one teacher said.

Some parents had been seen holding cigarettes and possibly joints, the teacher said, according to WSBTV.

“Parents, when you are helping your children at their computer please do not appear with big joints in your hands and cigarettes. Those joints be as big as cigars. Oh yeah, we’ve seen it all,” she said. “I had a father, no shirt, drinking a beer at 11:45 in the morning,” another teacher said.

DON’T BE A MASK-HOLE: A father says he doesn’t understand why his fifth-grade son was asked to remove his Hooters-themed face mask at school.

“There is nothing offensive or derogatory about this mask,” the father told WESH TV.

His son said his elementary school teacher said something about his mask in class.

“I wore it, and she said it was not appropriate for school. I asked her why, and she said if you really want to know why go ask the principal,” the 11-year-old said.

The boy’s father says his son has worn the Hooters mask for four weeks now. It wasn’t until recently that his son was told to remove it.

“I don’t think it’s offensive at all. It’s just a restaurant,” the father said.

STUPID PHONE CALL OF THE MONTH: In Austell, Georgia, a 24-year-old man called police to report a possible home burglary … but he’s the one who wound up in handcuffs, headed for jail.

Apparently, he forgot to put away his bags of drugs, cash, and machine guns. He called 911 after midnight to say he could see someone breaking into his home on his security camera.

According to WSBTV,” Officers showed up to the house after they got a call about a home break-in. They searched for a burglar, found a window open, and went inside to make sure it was safe, police said. Officers didn’t find anyone, but they came across the drugs and guns out in the open.”.

The male caller arrived home at 12:45 p.m. — and was immediately arrested. He’s charged with numerous crimes for possession of guns and drugs with intent to distribute.

The Austell Police Department says it was their biggest bust of the year. 

TICKET TO RIDE: In Cherokee County, Georgia, a man ran away from a traffic stop near I-75, leaving behind a winning Georgia lottery ticket in his car.

Wondering what happens to his lottery ticket? Well, deputies posted on Facebook to let the suspect know.

“To the suspect who ran on foot from our deputies on a traffic stop this morning on I-75, you left a winning $100.00 lottery ticket in your vehicle,” the Cherokee County Sheriffs’ Office wrote on Facebook. “You can claim your ticket at 498 Chattin Drive in Canton. It will be here waiting for you. Congratulations, by the way.”

But that doesn’t go for everything deputies found in the man’s car.

“Yes he will get his lottery ticket back, but we are keeping his methamphetamine,” the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged.

Deputies eventually found the man not far from where they originally stopped him.

YOUR TAX DOLLARS VANISHED: Ex-Atlanta Chief Financial Officer Jim Beard was indicted for fraud, theft from the government, possession of machine guns, and obstructing federal tax laws. Beard was Atlanta’s chief financial officer for six and a half years under former Mayor Kasim Reed.

Federal prosecutors allege that “Jim Beard allegedly abused his position as one of the most powerful executives in the City of Atlanta to commit federal crimes for his own gain, including stealing tens of thousands of dollars of the public’s money …”

They accuse him of defrauding the city out of tens of thousands of dollars by using those funds in a range of inappropriate ways, including using his city of Atlanta credit card to pay $3,800 for hotel rooms in Chicago when his stepdaughter went to the Lollapalooza Music Festival in 2015 and 2016. Beard was not even in Chicago for the festival.

In one bizarre instance, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Beard “ordered two custom-built machine guns that he caused to be delivered to Atlanta City Hall, after which Beard illegally took possession of the machine guns for his personal use …. Beard then had the City of Atlanta issue a $2,641.90 check to pay for the machine guns.”

Beard earned a salary of approximately $221,108 for his position as CFO for the city of Atlanta. —CL—

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  string(7112) "~~#000000:W__ET AND WILD:__~~ A sheriff’s department had some amusing (and obviously fake) advice for how Georgia drivers should handle rain.

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Department posted the advice on Facebook after heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Sally moved through.

“Y’all are doing a pretty good job driving in the relentless rain, but as always some of y’all don’t get it. Headlights. Who needs ‘em?” deputies wrote. “Turn them OFF in the driving rain and drive in stealth mode. Two or three of you had your lights on this morning like losers. Stop it.”

The sarcastic post also mocked drivers going too fast on wet roads.

“Hydroplaning can only occur if you are going faster than 35 mph. How fast can you go? Faster means you will be the first to the scene of the crash,” the post read. “Don’t settle for second place.”

The post also compared Atlanta drivers to NASCAR racers: “NASCAR runs bald tires so you should too. Those wimps don’t even race in the rain either. Dale (Earnhardt) Junior is ashamed of y’all.”

~~#000000:__GET YOUR BOOTY TO THE POLL:__~~ How important is the upcoming election? Just ask Atlanta’s strip club dancers — who banded together to produce a sassy, sexy PSA encouraging Atlantans to get out the vote. There’s plenty of spicy booty shots in the 1:30 clip — with the words “One” and “Vote” prominently displayed on strippers’ derrieres. The entire video includes lots of stripper-pole dancing, awesome and skimpy outfits … and some wise words on the value of every individual vote. 

One hot stripper says, “If your vote didn’t matter there wouldn’t be so many people trying to discourage you from casting it. We have the power to create the change we want to see, and we can do that by voting for people who we trust to prioritize our interests and concerns. Go vote!”

Atlanta strippers also started a website encouraging people to vote. getyourbootytothepoll.com features online resources for registering, researching candidates, and voting in the upcoming election. 

~~#000000:__HOME-SCHOOL SURVIVAL ACCESSORIES:__~~ Parents appearing half-dressed, drinking, or smoking during their kids’ virtual classrooms has prompted teachers at Boca Raton Elementary in Florida to speak up during a school board meeting.

“Parents, please make sure that you have on proper clothing when you are walking behind your child’s computer, because we’ve seen them in their drawers, their bras, and everything else,” one teacher said.

Some parents had been seen holding cigarettes and possibly joints, the teacher said, according to WSBTV.

“Parents, when you are helping your children at their computer please do not appear with big joints in your hands and cigarettes. Those joints be as big as cigars. Oh yeah, we’ve seen it all,” she said. “I had a father, no shirt, drinking a beer at 11:45 in the morning,” another teacher said.

~~#000000:__DON’T BE A MASK-HOLE:__~~ A father says he doesn’t understand why his fifth-grade son was asked to remove his Hooters-themed face mask at school.

“There is nothing offensive or derogatory about this mask,” the father told WESH TV.

His son said his elementary school teacher said something about his mask in class.

“I wore it, and she said it was not appropriate for school. I asked her why, and she said if you really want to know why go ask the principal,” the 11-year-old said.

The boy’s father says his son has worn the Hooters mask for four weeks now. It wasn’t until recently that his son was told to remove it.

“I don’t think it’s offensive at all. It’s just a restaurant,” the father said.

~~#000000:__STUPID PHONE CALL OF THE MONTH:__~~ In Austell, Georgia, a 24-year-old man called police to report a possible home burglary … but he’s the one who wound up in handcuffs, headed for jail.

Apparently, he forgot to put away his bags of drugs, cash, and machine guns. He called 911 after midnight to say he could see someone breaking into his home on his security camera.

According to WSBTV,” Officers showed up to the house after they got a call about a home break-in. They searched for a burglar, found a window open, and went inside to make sure it was safe, police said. Officers didn’t find anyone, but they came across the drugs and guns out in the open.”.

The male caller arrived home at 12:45 p.m. — and was immediately arrested. He’s charged with numerous crimes for possession of guns and drugs with intent to distribute.

The Austell Police Department says it was their biggest bust of the year. 

~~#000000:__TICKET TO RIDE:__~~ In Cherokee County, Georgia, a man ran away from a traffic stop near I-75, leaving behind a winning Georgia lottery ticket in his car.

Wondering what happens to his lottery ticket? Well, deputies posted on Facebook to let the suspect know.

“To the suspect who ran on foot from our deputies on a traffic stop this morning on I-75, you left a winning $100.00 lottery ticket in your vehicle,” the Cherokee County Sheriffs’ Office wrote on Facebook. “You can claim your ticket at 498 Chattin Drive in Canton. It will be here waiting for you. Congratulations, by the way.”

But that doesn’t go for everything deputies found in the man’s car.

“Yes he will get his lottery ticket back, but we are keeping his methamphetamine,” the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged.

Deputies eventually found the man not far from where they originally stopped him.

~~#000000:__YOUR TAX DOLLARS VANISHED:__~~ Ex-Atlanta Chief Financial Officer Jim Beard was indicted for fraud, theft from the government, possession of machine guns, and obstructing federal tax laws. Beard was Atlanta’s chief financial officer for six and a half years under former Mayor Kasim Reed.

Federal prosecutors allege that “Jim Beard allegedly abused his position as one of the most powerful executives in the City of Atlanta to commit federal crimes for his own gain, including stealing tens of thousands of dollars of the public’s money …”

They accuse him of defrauding the city out of tens of thousands of dollars by using those funds in a range of inappropriate ways, including using his city of Atlanta credit card to pay $3,800 for hotel rooms in Chicago when his stepdaughter went to the Lollapalooza Music Festival in 2015 and 2016. Beard was not even in Chicago for the festival.

In one bizarre instance, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Beard “ordered two custom-built machine guns that he caused to be delivered to Atlanta City Hall, after which Beard illegally took possession of the machine guns for his personal use …. Beard then had the City of Atlanta issue a $2,641.90 check to pay for the machine guns.”

Beard earned a salary of approximately $221,108 for his position as CFO for the city of Atlanta. __—CL—__

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  string(7934) " 1020blot Burglar Final 01 Resized Web  2020-10-02T20:58:30+00:00 1020blot-burglar-final-01_resized_web.jpg    I love the Blotter, haven't seen in forever, just today I was thinking about CL, haven't been able to find near me, tried the map and it was glitchy wouldn't work... So I'm trying the online version. Low & behold The Blotter was 1st up front and center, and the stories today we're as always oh so enjoyable. I can't pick a favorite they are all quite amusing. Thanks for the funny finds! We can all use a momentary laugh once in a while these days. Hope it brings some others  just a smidgen of joy too. theblotter And other tales of life in the ATL 1020blot Burglar Final 01 Resized Web   2020-10-09T20:58:00+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Stupid phone call of the month jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING  2020-10-09T20:58:00+00:00 WET AND WILD: A sheriff’s department had some amusing (and obviously fake) advice for how Georgia drivers should handle rain.

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Department posted the advice on Facebook after heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Sally moved through.

“Y’all are doing a pretty good job driving in the relentless rain, but as always some of y’all don’t get it. Headlights. Who needs ‘em?” deputies wrote. “Turn them OFF in the driving rain and drive in stealth mode. Two or three of you had your lights on this morning like losers. Stop it.”

The sarcastic post also mocked drivers going too fast on wet roads.

“Hydroplaning can only occur if you are going faster than 35 mph. How fast can you go? Faster means you will be the first to the scene of the crash,” the post read. “Don’t settle for second place.”

The post also compared Atlanta drivers to NASCAR racers: “NASCAR runs bald tires so you should too. Those wimps don’t even race in the rain either. Dale (Earnhardt) Junior is ashamed of y’all.”

GET YOUR BOOTY TO THE POLL: How important is the upcoming election? Just ask Atlanta’s strip club dancers — who banded together to produce a sassy, sexy PSA encouraging Atlantans to get out the vote. There’s plenty of spicy booty shots in the 1:30 clip — with the words “One” and “Vote” prominently displayed on strippers’ derrieres. The entire video includes lots of stripper-pole dancing, awesome and skimpy outfits … and some wise words on the value of every individual vote. 

One hot stripper says, “If your vote didn’t matter there wouldn’t be so many people trying to discourage you from casting it. We have the power to create the change we want to see, and we can do that by voting for people who we trust to prioritize our interests and concerns. Go vote!”

Atlanta strippers also started a website encouraging people to vote. getyourbootytothepoll.com features online resources for registering, researching candidates, and voting in the upcoming election. 

HOME-SCHOOL SURVIVAL ACCESSORIES: Parents appearing half-dressed, drinking, or smoking during their kids’ virtual classrooms has prompted teachers at Boca Raton Elementary in Florida to speak up during a school board meeting.

“Parents, please make sure that you have on proper clothing when you are walking behind your child’s computer, because we’ve seen them in their drawers, their bras, and everything else,” one teacher said.

Some parents had been seen holding cigarettes and possibly joints, the teacher said, according to WSBTV.

“Parents, when you are helping your children at their computer please do not appear with big joints in your hands and cigarettes. Those joints be as big as cigars. Oh yeah, we’ve seen it all,” she said. “I had a father, no shirt, drinking a beer at 11:45 in the morning,” another teacher said.

DON’T BE A MASK-HOLE: A father says he doesn’t understand why his fifth-grade son was asked to remove his Hooters-themed face mask at school.

“There is nothing offensive or derogatory about this mask,” the father told WESH TV.

His son said his elementary school teacher said something about his mask in class.

“I wore it, and she said it was not appropriate for school. I asked her why, and she said if you really want to know why go ask the principal,” the 11-year-old said.

The boy’s father says his son has worn the Hooters mask for four weeks now. It wasn’t until recently that his son was told to remove it.

“I don’t think it’s offensive at all. It’s just a restaurant,” the father said.

STUPID PHONE CALL OF THE MONTH: In Austell, Georgia, a 24-year-old man called police to report a possible home burglary … but he’s the one who wound up in handcuffs, headed for jail.

Apparently, he forgot to put away his bags of drugs, cash, and machine guns. He called 911 after midnight to say he could see someone breaking into his home on his security camera.

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The male caller arrived home at 12:45 p.m. — and was immediately arrested. He’s charged with numerous crimes for possession of guns and drugs with intent to distribute.

The Austell Police Department says it was their biggest bust of the year. 

TICKET TO RIDE: In Cherokee County, Georgia, a man ran away from a traffic stop near I-75, leaving behind a winning Georgia lottery ticket in his car.

Wondering what happens to his lottery ticket? Well, deputies posted on Facebook to let the suspect know.

“To the suspect who ran on foot from our deputies on a traffic stop this morning on I-75, you left a winning $100.00 lottery ticket in your vehicle,” the Cherokee County Sheriffs’ Office wrote on Facebook. “You can claim your ticket at 498 Chattin Drive in Canton. It will be here waiting for you. Congratulations, by the way.”

But that doesn’t go for everything deputies found in the man’s car.

“Yes he will get his lottery ticket back, but we are keeping his methamphetamine,” the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged.

Deputies eventually found the man not far from where they originally stopped him.

YOUR TAX DOLLARS VANISHED: Ex-Atlanta Chief Financial Officer Jim Beard was indicted for fraud, theft from the government, possession of machine guns, and obstructing federal tax laws. Beard was Atlanta’s chief financial officer for six and a half years under former Mayor Kasim Reed.

Federal prosecutors allege that “Jim Beard allegedly abused his position as one of the most powerful executives in the City of Atlanta to commit federal crimes for his own gain, including stealing tens of thousands of dollars of the public’s money …”

They accuse him of defrauding the city out of tens of thousands of dollars by using those funds in a range of inappropriate ways, including using his city of Atlanta credit card to pay $3,800 for hotel rooms in Chicago when his stepdaughter went to the Lollapalooza Music Festival in 2015 and 2016. Beard was not even in Chicago for the festival.

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Beard earned a salary of approximately $221,108 for his position as CFO for the city of Atlanta. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    TRAY BUTLER   0,0,10    theblotter                       THE BLOTTER: Stupid phone call of the month "
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The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports — and puts them into her own words.    Illustration by Tray Butler   0,0,10   cl issue september 2020 theblotter blotter                       THE BLOTTER: Virtual school peek-a-boo "
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The two exchanged words, and the maskless mother snapped, “You’re so ridiculous. Take care of yourself. Bye.”

Then, the masked woman yelled, “I hope y’all die because you’re gonna kill me and my husband.”

The maskless mother responded, “Oh, that’s a great thing to say.”

Later, the maskless mother added: “Whenever it all ended I just walked off and was shaking on the inside, and I started crying because I was so upset. She was attacking the people that were coming in without masks, and everybody was just kind of ignoring her and walking on and going on about their business, but I just didn’t feel that it was right that she was wishing death upon people for not wearing a mask.”

This was two days after Walmart announced a national mask policy for all its U.S. stores.

The maskless mother said, “There was a man at the door who said if you have a mask can you please put your mask on, and we didn’t have any with us — but he didn’t say that we couldn’t come in.”

DUMBASS OF THE MONTH: Coweta County police stopped a 28-year-old man using his cellphone — without a hands-free device — while driving and allegedly weaving all over on 1-85.

During the stop, an officer smelled marijuana coming from the driver’s Dodge Ram, prompting a search of the pickup truck. They found 15 pounds of alleged marijuana, $33,498 in cash, and a loaded handgun — inside a duffel bag.

You’d think with more than $33k stuffed in a duffel bag, the driver could spring for a hands-free device for his cellphone!

The 28-year-old driver now faces two felony charges (trafficking marijuana, possession of a firearm), plus a host of driving violations. He was released from the Coweta County Jail after posting $75,000 bond.

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?: In Roswell one evening, a man allegedly used a ladder to climb on top of his neighbor’s suburban home. The Roswell homeowner saw the man on his home security system video — and called police before confronting the weird 28-year-old dude on his roof.

Apparently, the man on the ladder was trying to peep at the Roswell family. Police showed up and questioned him: Why are you on the roof? The man said he was looking for a missing cat.

Roswell police do not believe this was the first time the 28-year-old had been peeping on his neighbors. He’s now charged with Peeping Tom.

SOUTHERN NAME CHANGE: A brouhaha broke out over a street named after Jim Crow in Flowery Branch, Hall County. The local city council voted to change the name in July because they wanted to send a positive message — but they didn’t realize the Jim Crow Street was named after a person and not a segregationist movement. The council “had no idea the street was named after an actual person.”

Apparently, Jim Crow was a well-known farmer in Hall County — and they named a road after him.

“He went out of his way to help the people in his community,” reports WSB-TV.

Crow’s family members recall that “he would help feed families, he would even, when families couldn’t afford a proper burial … use lumber from his lumber yard to actually build the caskets for these family members.”

But Jim Crow is not the farmer’s real name. He was born Glennon C. Crow. After his mom died, an aunt who raised Crow nicknamed him Jimmy. Eventually, the nickname evolved into Jim.

His nephew Randy Crow says, “Nobody had any idea it could be racial or anything.”

The street will be renamed G.C. Crow Road. The Flowery Branch City Council has ordered new road signs … but apparently the pandemic is slowing down production.

The City of Flowery Branch also plans to put a plaque in a nearby park in Hall County explaining who Jim Crow (the farmer) was and his legacy, according to Mayor Mike Miller.

FOILED PLAN: A 23-year-old man from Cumming, Georgia will spend the next 15 years behind bars for threatening to use explosives to blow up the White House.

According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release: The 23-year-old “planned to conduct a terrorist attack on the White House as part of what he claimed was his obligation to engage in jihad.”

Undercover agents met with the 23-year-old, who showed them his sketches of the White House. Also, the 23-year-old described the types of weapons and explosives he was going to use in the attack.

FBI agents arrested the 23-year-old when he showed up at a pre-arranged meeting where he expected to obtain assault rifles, explosive devices, and an antitank weapon.

In late July, the 23-year-old was sentenced to 15 years in prison, plus three years of supervised release.

WATER WARS: Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore is calling for Atlanta’s “bottle boys” to be cleared from the city’s intersections. “Bottle boys” are youths trying to sell bottles of water to people in cars passing by.

Moore says: “The boys are either going to get hurt or they are going to hurt somebody.”

Last weekend, in Buckhead, a motorist hit a nine-year-old bottle boy at a busy intersection. The boy wasn’t seriously hurt; the motorist fled the scene.

Another motorist says a teenage bottle boy, who hurled a water bottle at his car after he refused to buy it, accosted him. This incident also took place in Buckhead. The motorist does not think the teen should be arrested. He says, “Stop the aggression, stop the assault, and it’s all good. I’ll buy your water.”

SOCIAL-DISTANCING SNAFU: An Oakhurst woman writes: “My friend and I were walking on East Lake a block away from the Banjo house. We saw a man approaching. It was dark, and with social distancing and spacing, we decided to walk in the street so he wouldn’t have to wait for us to pass or vice versa.  As we stepped in the street, he started fussing and questioning why we didn’t want to walk past him on the sidewalk. He was loud, rude, and may have been inebriated, but he tried to make a scene and started using profanity. I walk all the time and move off into the street as to let others pass, especially when I’m not alone. I really was offended by it and a little spooked.” —CL—

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The maskless mother responded, “Oh, that’s a great thing to say.”

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D__UMBASS OF THE MONTH:__ Coweta County police stopped a 28-year-old man using his cellphone — without a hands-free device — while driving and allegedly weaving all over on 1-85.

During the stop, an officer smelled marijuana coming from the driver’s Dodge Ram, prompting a search of the pickup truck. They found 15 pounds of alleged marijuana, $33,498 in cash, and a loaded handgun — inside a duffel bag.

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The 28-year-old driver now faces two felony charges (trafficking marijuana, possession of a firearm), plus a host of driving violations. He was released from the Coweta County Jail after posting $75,000 bond.

__WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?:__ In Roswell one evening, a man allegedly used a ladder to climb on top of his neighbor’s suburban home. The Roswell homeowner saw the man on his home security system video — and called police before confronting the weird 28-year-old dude on his roof.

Apparently, the man on the ladder was trying to peep at the Roswell family. Police showed up and questioned him: Why are you on the roof? The man said he was looking for a missing cat.

Roswell police do not believe this was the first time the 28-year-old had been peeping on his neighbors. He’s now charged with Peeping Tom.

__SOUTHERN NAME CHANGE:__ A brouhaha broke out over a street named after Jim Crow in Flowery Branch, Hall County. The local city council voted to change the name in July because they wanted to send a positive message — but they didn’t realize the Jim Crow Street was named after a ''person'' and not a segregationist movement. The council “had no idea the street was named after an actual person.”

Apparently, Jim Crow was a well-known farmer in Hall County — and they named a road after him.

“He went out of his way to help the people in his community,” reports WSB-TV.

Crow’s family members recall that “he would help feed families, he would even, when families couldn’t afford a proper burial … use lumber from his lumber yard to actually build the caskets for these family members.”

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His nephew Randy Crow says, “Nobody had any idea it could be racial or anything.”

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The City of Flowery Branch also plans to put a plaque in a nearby park in Hall County explaining who Jim Crow (the farmer) was and his legacy, according to Mayor Mike Miller.

__FOILED PLAN:__ A 23-year-old man from Cumming, Georgia will spend the next 15 years behind bars for threatening to use explosives to blow up the White House.

According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release: The 23-year-old “planned to conduct a terrorist attack on the White House as part of what he claimed was his obligation to engage in jihad.”

Undercover agents met with the 23-year-old, who showed them his sketches of the White House. Also, the 23-year-old described the types of weapons and explosives he was going to use in the attack.

FBI agents arrested the 23-year-old when he showed up at a pre-arranged meeting where he expected to obtain assault rifles, explosive devices, and an antitank weapon.

In late July, the 23-year-old was sentenced to 15 years in prison, plus three years of supervised release.

__WATER WARS:__ Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore is calling for Atlanta’s “bottle boys” to be cleared from the city’s intersections. “Bottle boys” are youths trying to sell bottles of water to people in cars passing by.

Moore says: “The boys are either going to get hurt or they are going to hurt somebody.”

Last weekend, in Buckhead, a motorist hit a nine-year-old bottle boy at a busy intersection. The boy wasn’t seriously hurt; the motorist fled the scene.

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__SOCIAL-DISTANCING SNAFU:__ An Oakhurst woman writes: “My friend and I were walking on East Lake a block away from the Banjo house. We saw a man approaching. It was dark, and with social distancing and spacing, we decided to walk in the street so he wouldn’t have to wait for us to pass or vice versa.  As we stepped in the street, he started fussing and questioning why we didn’t want to walk past him on the sidewalk. He was loud, rude, and may have been inebriated, but he tried to make a scene and started using profanity. I walk all the time and move off into the street as to let others pass, especially when I’m not alone. I really was offended by it and a little spooked.” __—CL—__

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  string(7176) " 0820 Blot Masks Final 01 Web  2020-08-05T21:11:14+00:00 0820-blot-masks-final-01_web.jpg    I understand the fuss about wearing masks.  Walmart has the right to not serve those who refuse to wear one but we don’t have the right to be hateful to those who choose to not.  Any store should refuse to let people in without masks or provide paper ones. blotter And other tales of life in the ATL 0820 Blot Masks Final 01 Web   2020-08-05T21:08:02+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Mask Meltdown jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2020-08-05T21:08:02+00:00 A young maskless mother said she and her three maskless children entered a Walmart in Gainesville, Georgia — and promptly got berated by a fellow customer (a masked middle-aged woman).

The two exchanged words, and the maskless mother snapped, “You’re so ridiculous. Take care of yourself. Bye.”

Then, the masked woman yelled, “I hope y’all die because you’re gonna kill me and my husband.”

The maskless mother responded, “Oh, that’s a great thing to say.”

Later, the maskless mother added: “Whenever it all ended I just walked off and was shaking on the inside, and I started crying because I was so upset. She was attacking the people that were coming in without masks, and everybody was just kind of ignoring her and walking on and going on about their business, but I just didn’t feel that it was right that she was wishing death upon people for not wearing a mask.”

This was two days after Walmart announced a national mask policy for all its U.S. stores.

The maskless mother said, “There was a man at the door who said if you have a mask can you please put your mask on, and we didn’t have any with us — but he didn’t say that we couldn’t come in.”

DUMBASS OF THE MONTH: Coweta County police stopped a 28-year-old man using his cellphone — without a hands-free device — while driving and allegedly weaving all over on 1-85.

During the stop, an officer smelled marijuana coming from the driver’s Dodge Ram, prompting a search of the pickup truck. They found 15 pounds of alleged marijuana, $33,498 in cash, and a loaded handgun — inside a duffel bag.

You’d think with more than $33k stuffed in a duffel bag, the driver could spring for a hands-free device for his cellphone!

The 28-year-old driver now faces two felony charges (trafficking marijuana, possession of a firearm), plus a host of driving violations. He was released from the Coweta County Jail after posting $75,000 bond.

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?: In Roswell one evening, a man allegedly used a ladder to climb on top of his neighbor’s suburban home. The Roswell homeowner saw the man on his home security system video — and called police before confronting the weird 28-year-old dude on his roof.

Apparently, the man on the ladder was trying to peep at the Roswell family. Police showed up and questioned him: Why are you on the roof? The man said he was looking for a missing cat.

Roswell police do not believe this was the first time the 28-year-old had been peeping on his neighbors. He’s now charged with Peeping Tom.

SOUTHERN NAME CHANGE: A brouhaha broke out over a street named after Jim Crow in Flowery Branch, Hall County. The local city council voted to change the name in July because they wanted to send a positive message — but they didn’t realize the Jim Crow Street was named after a person and not a segregationist movement. The council “had no idea the street was named after an actual person.”

Apparently, Jim Crow was a well-known farmer in Hall County — and they named a road after him.

“He went out of his way to help the people in his community,” reports WSB-TV.

Crow’s family members recall that “he would help feed families, he would even, when families couldn’t afford a proper burial … use lumber from his lumber yard to actually build the caskets for these family members.”

But Jim Crow is not the farmer’s real name. He was born Glennon C. Crow. After his mom died, an aunt who raised Crow nicknamed him Jimmy. Eventually, the nickname evolved into Jim.

His nephew Randy Crow says, “Nobody had any idea it could be racial or anything.”

The street will be renamed G.C. Crow Road. The Flowery Branch City Council has ordered new road signs … but apparently the pandemic is slowing down production.

The City of Flowery Branch also plans to put a plaque in a nearby park in Hall County explaining who Jim Crow (the farmer) was and his legacy, according to Mayor Mike Miller.

FOILED PLAN: A 23-year-old man from Cumming, Georgia will spend the next 15 years behind bars for threatening to use explosives to blow up the White House.

According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release: The 23-year-old “planned to conduct a terrorist attack on the White House as part of what he claimed was his obligation to engage in jihad.”

Undercover agents met with the 23-year-old, who showed them his sketches of the White House. Also, the 23-year-old described the types of weapons and explosives he was going to use in the attack.

FBI agents arrested the 23-year-old when he showed up at a pre-arranged meeting where he expected to obtain assault rifles, explosive devices, and an antitank weapon.

In late July, the 23-year-old was sentenced to 15 years in prison, plus three years of supervised release.

WATER WARS: Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore is calling for Atlanta’s “bottle boys” to be cleared from the city’s intersections. “Bottle boys” are youths trying to sell bottles of water to people in cars passing by.

Moore says: “The boys are either going to get hurt or they are going to hurt somebody.”

Last weekend, in Buckhead, a motorist hit a nine-year-old bottle boy at a busy intersection. The boy wasn’t seriously hurt; the motorist fled the scene.

Another motorist says a teenage bottle boy, who hurled a water bottle at his car after he refused to buy it, accosted him. This incident also took place in Buckhead. The motorist does not think the teen should be arrested. He says, “Stop the aggression, stop the assault, and it’s all good. I’ll buy your water.”

SOCIAL-DISTANCING SNAFU: An Oakhurst woman writes: “My friend and I were walking on East Lake a block away from the Banjo house. We saw a man approaching. It was dark, and with social distancing and spacing, we decided to walk in the street so he wouldn’t have to wait for us to pass or vice versa.  As we stepped in the street, he started fussing and questioning why we didn’t want to walk past him on the sidewalk. He was loud, rude, and may have been inebriated, but he tried to make a scene and started using profanity. I walk all the time and move off into the street as to let others pass, especially when I’m not alone. I really was offended by it and a little spooked.” —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and local news reports and puts them into her own words.    Tray Butler   0,0,10    blotter                       THE BLOTTER: Mask Meltdown "
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  string(5002) "NATURE LOVES A LOCKDOWN: A wild turkey was spotted in East Atlanta Village (probably headed to the Earl for Wild Turkey shots). Peacocks roamed freely in Kirkwood. And in Decatur? One neighborhood denizen wrote, “The Dude on South McDonough a half hour ago, directing traffic so a turtle could cross the road — is exactly the hero Decatur needs right now — he low-key won the day.”

Another Decatur resident responded: “Nice. The last time I helped a turtle in the middle of E. Davis, by putting him on the side of the street he was heading to, he peed on me.”

JUST OUT FOR A JOG: In Lawrenceville, a 14-year-old African-American male says he was out running for exercise in his subdivision when he was accosted by two white males. He said the men in a silver 4-door car pulled alongside him and yelled extremely derogatory insults, before spitting on his arm. During a pandemic.

The 14-year-old says: “It was very disturbing that I had someone’s bodily fluid on my arm.”

The teen adds: “They yelled things like ‘You’re poor!’ and ‘Go back to your ‘hood.’ They also used racial slurs to describe me.”

The 14-year-old’s mother says her son was instructed by his football coach to start running to prepare for the upcoming football season.

DECATUR DICKHEAD: About 30 people decided to hold a Black Lives Matter protest on a street corner in Decatur, holding up signs.

“For the most part, we were greeted with signs of support — from honks to thumbs up!” reports one protest organizer. “Towards the end, an older (white) man drove by while yelling that we were ignorant.” About two minutes later, the older white man showed up on foot at the protest “and started using the N-word,” reports the protest organizer. “Not afraid of a good fight, I let him know I wasn’t afraid of his ignorant rants. Then, he got ugly. This man got in my face and spit on me. Twice. He then yelled, ‘I have the COVID-19.’

The spitter wore a T-shirt that read: “Math Counts.”

That wasn’t all. A fellow organizer followed the older white guy to his car, intending to snap a pic of his license plate. “When the man saw him taking a photo, he shouted, “I’ll shoot you, N-lover. Why don’t you suck a N-dick?” 

The older white man lives in Decatur. Yes, Decatur. The land of hemp clothes and yoga. He wore plaid shorts, that t-shirt, and a white baseball cap.

The protest organizer posted photos of the man (and his license plate) on Facebook. “I have called the police,” he says. “This man belongs in jail.”

MESSAGING MALFUNCTION: In Buckhead, a restaurant called OK CAFÉ displayed a perplexing banner during a recent student-led march called Buckhead4BlackLives.

The banner, proudly displayed across the restaurant’s storefront, read in huge letters: “LIVES THAT MATTER ARE MADE WITH POSITIVE PURPOSE,” alongside a booth that read “OK Café Tea Party.”

A Georgia Tech student organizer of the march says, “It’s such cryptic wording that we feel like they were trying to step around it, while not actually saying ‘All Lives Matter.’”

Other signs displayed at OK Café include: “Law & Order = Peace,” “OK Café Loves America,” and “We Support the Georgia Police Force.”

The restaurant’s female co-owner — when quizzed by food and dining network Eater about her controversial signage  — had this to say via email:

“The mass and unhinged violence and destruction of business across America was purposeless, anti-American and destroyed the concept of law and order. A message of positive purpose needed to be said. I hope to see many similar messages posted too as Business is the glue of our free society.”

The Blotter Diva says, Shove it, lady. If “Business” (with a capital  is the glue of our free society … then, we’re all about to come unglued. Quickly.

THIS IS FUCKING POST-GEORGE FLOYD AMERICA: A police officer held two African-American boys (ages 13 and 15) at gunpoint in Clayton County.

Police say the boys showed them a BB gun hidden in the bushes — and it looked like a real semi-automatic pistol.

One person standing nearby was heard pleading with the officers: “Please sir, don’t shoot. They’re kids. What did they do?”

Another person cried out, “Why you got a gun out?”

The officer replied, “Because I’m being safe.”

The boys’ mother says: “If this community in Clayton County didn’t come out for them, I wonder if one of these boys wouldn’t have made it home. … These kids were shadow-boxing near the convenience store, playing with each other as kids do. The community begged the officer to put his gun away. Police harassment is real!!! A gun before a Taser on black CHILDREN?”

The 15-year-old says: “I thought I was going to die. Because you see all these black kids dying.”

Community activists are calling for the Clayton County police officer to be fired. —CL—"
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  string(5038) "__NATURE LOVES A LOCKDOWN__: A wild turkey was spotted in East Atlanta Village (probably headed to the Earl for Wild Turkey shots). Peacocks roamed freely in Kirkwood. And in Decatur? One neighborhood denizen wrote, “The Dude on South McDonough a half hour ago, directing traffic so a turtle could cross the road — is exactly the hero Decatur needs right now — he low-key won the day.”

Another Decatur resident responded: “Nice. The last time I helped a turtle in the middle of E. Davis, by putting him on the side of the street he was heading to, he peed on me.”

__JUST OUT FOR A JOG:__ In Lawrenceville, a 14-year-old African-American male says he was out running for exercise in his subdivision when he was accosted by two white males. He said the men in a silver 4-door car pulled alongside him and yelled extremely derogatory insults, before spitting on his arm. During a pandemic.

The 14-year-old says: “It was very disturbing that I had someone’s bodily fluid on my arm.”

The teen adds: “They yelled things like ‘You’re poor!’ and ‘Go back to your ‘hood.’ They also used racial slurs to describe me.”

The 14-year-old’s mother says her son was instructed by his football coach to start running to prepare for the upcoming football season.

__DECATUR DICKHEAD__'':'' About 30 people decided to hold a Black Lives Matter protest on a street corner in Decatur, holding up signs.

“For the most part, we were greeted with signs of support — from honks to thumbs up!” reports one protest organizer. “Towards the end, an older (white) man drove by while yelling that we were ignorant.” About two minutes later, the older white man showed up on foot at the protest “and started using the N-word,” reports the protest organizer. “Not afraid of a good fight, I let him know I wasn’t afraid of his ignorant rants. Then, he got ugly. This man got in my face and spit on me. Twice. He then yelled, ‘I have the COVID-19.’

The spitter wore a T-shirt that read: “Math Counts.”

That wasn’t all. A fellow organizer followed the older white guy to his car, intending to snap a pic of his license plate. “When the man saw him taking a photo, he shouted, “I’ll shoot you, N-lover. Why don’t you suck a N-dick?” 

The older white man lives in Decatur. Yes, Decatur. The land of hemp clothes and yoga. He wore plaid shorts, that t-shirt, and a white baseball cap.

The protest organizer posted photos of the man (and his license plate) on Facebook. “I have called the police,” he says. “This man belongs in jail.”

__MESSAGING MALFUNCTION:__ In Buckhead, a restaurant called OK CAFÉ displayed a perplexing banner during a recent student-led march called Buckhead4BlackLives.

The banner, proudly displayed across the restaurant’s storefront, read in huge letters: “LIVES THAT MATTER ARE MADE WITH POSITIVE PURPOSE,” alongside a booth that read “OK Café Tea Party.”

A Georgia Tech student organizer of the march says, “It’s such cryptic wording that we feel like they were trying to step around it, while not actually saying ‘All Lives Matter.’”

Other signs displayed at OK Café include: “Law & Order = Peace,” “OK Café Loves America,” and “We Support the Georgia Police Force.”

The restaurant’s female co-owner — when quizzed by food and dining network Eater about her controversial signage  — had this to say via email:

“The mass and unhinged violence and destruction of business across America was purposeless, anti-American and destroyed the concept of law and order. A message of positive purpose needed to be said. I hope to see many similar messages posted too as Business is the glue of our free society.”

The Blotter Diva says, Shove it, lady. If “Business” (with a capital (:cool:) is the glue of our free society … then, we’re all about to come unglued. Quickly.

__THIS IS FUCKING POST-GEORGE FLOYD AMERICA:__ A police officer held two African-American boys (ages 13 and 15) at gunpoint in Clayton County.

Police say the boys showed them a BB gun hidden in the bushes — and it looked like a real semi-automatic pistol.

One person standing nearby was heard pleading with the officers: “Please sir, don’t shoot. They’re kids. What did they do?”

Another person cried out, “Why you got a gun out?”

The officer replied, “Because I’m being safe.”

The boys’ mother says: “If this community in Clayton County didn’t come out for them, I wonder if one of these boys wouldn’t have made it home. … These kids were shadow-boxing near the convenience store, playing with each other as kids do. The community begged the officer to put his gun away. Police harassment is real!!! A gun before a Taser on black CHILDREN?”

The 15-year-old says: “I thought I was going to die. Because you see all these black kids dying.”

Community activists are calling for the Clayton County police officer to be fired. __—CL—__"
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  string(5466) " 0720 Blot Final Resized Web  2020-06-30T19:23:10+00:00 0720-blot-final_resized_web.jpg     theblotter And other tales of life in the ATL 0720 Blot Final Resized Web   2020-06-30T15:57:00+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Animals in the street and roaming jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2020-06-30T15:57:00+00:00 NATURE LOVES A LOCKDOWN: A wild turkey was spotted in East Atlanta Village (probably headed to the Earl for Wild Turkey shots). Peacocks roamed freely in Kirkwood. And in Decatur? One neighborhood denizen wrote, “The Dude on South McDonough a half hour ago, directing traffic so a turtle could cross the road — is exactly the hero Decatur needs right now — he low-key won the day.”

Another Decatur resident responded: “Nice. The last time I helped a turtle in the middle of E. Davis, by putting him on the side of the street he was heading to, he peed on me.”

JUST OUT FOR A JOG: In Lawrenceville, a 14-year-old African-American male says he was out running for exercise in his subdivision when he was accosted by two white males. He said the men in a silver 4-door car pulled alongside him and yelled extremely derogatory insults, before spitting on his arm. During a pandemic.

The 14-year-old says: “It was very disturbing that I had someone’s bodily fluid on my arm.”

The teen adds: “They yelled things like ‘You’re poor!’ and ‘Go back to your ‘hood.’ They also used racial slurs to describe me.”

The 14-year-old’s mother says her son was instructed by his football coach to start running to prepare for the upcoming football season.

DECATUR DICKHEAD: About 30 people decided to hold a Black Lives Matter protest on a street corner in Decatur, holding up signs.

“For the most part, we were greeted with signs of support — from honks to thumbs up!” reports one protest organizer. “Towards the end, an older (white) man drove by while yelling that we were ignorant.” About two minutes later, the older white man showed up on foot at the protest “and started using the N-word,” reports the protest organizer. “Not afraid of a good fight, I let him know I wasn’t afraid of his ignorant rants. Then, he got ugly. This man got in my face and spit on me. Twice. He then yelled, ‘I have the COVID-19.’

The spitter wore a T-shirt that read: “Math Counts.”

That wasn’t all. A fellow organizer followed the older white guy to his car, intending to snap a pic of his license plate. “When the man saw him taking a photo, he shouted, “I’ll shoot you, N-lover. Why don’t you suck a N-dick?” 

The older white man lives in Decatur. Yes, Decatur. The land of hemp clothes and yoga. He wore plaid shorts, that t-shirt, and a white baseball cap.

The protest organizer posted photos of the man (and his license plate) on Facebook. “I have called the police,” he says. “This man belongs in jail.”

MESSAGING MALFUNCTION: In Buckhead, a restaurant called OK CAFÉ displayed a perplexing banner during a recent student-led march called Buckhead4BlackLives.

The banner, proudly displayed across the restaurant’s storefront, read in huge letters: “LIVES THAT MATTER ARE MADE WITH POSITIVE PURPOSE,” alongside a booth that read “OK Café Tea Party.”

A Georgia Tech student organizer of the march says, “It’s such cryptic wording that we feel like they were trying to step around it, while not actually saying ‘All Lives Matter.’”

Other signs displayed at OK Café include: “Law & Order = Peace,” “OK Café Loves America,” and “We Support the Georgia Police Force.”

The restaurant’s female co-owner — when quizzed by food and dining network Eater about her controversial signage  — had this to say via email:

“The mass and unhinged violence and destruction of business across America was purposeless, anti-American and destroyed the concept of law and order. A message of positive purpose needed to be said. I hope to see many similar messages posted too as Business is the glue of our free society.”

The Blotter Diva says, Shove it, lady. If “Business” (with a capital  is the glue of our free society … then, we’re all about to come unglued. Quickly.

THIS IS FUCKING POST-GEORGE FLOYD AMERICA: A police officer held two African-American boys (ages 13 and 15) at gunpoint in Clayton County.

Police say the boys showed them a BB gun hidden in the bushes — and it looked like a real semi-automatic pistol.

One person standing nearby was heard pleading with the officers: “Please sir, don’t shoot. They’re kids. What did they do?”

Another person cried out, “Why you got a gun out?”

The officer replied, “Because I’m being safe.”

The boys’ mother says: “If this community in Clayton County didn’t come out for them, I wonder if one of these boys wouldn’t have made it home. … These kids were shadow-boxing near the convenience store, playing with each other as kids do. The community begged the officer to put his gun away. Police harassment is real!!! A gun before a Taser on black CHILDREN?”

The 15-year-old says: “I thought I was going to die. Because you see all these black kids dying.”

Community activists are calling for the Clayton County police officer to be fired. —CL—    Illustration: Tray Butler   0,0,10    theblotter                       THE BLOTTER: Animals in the street and roaming "
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  string(4275) "PANDEMIC DARWIN AWARD #1: Police say an Atlanta woman coughed on a family for a “coronavirus social media” challenge. The female suspect is accused of targeting a family of six — including four children — who were taking a stroll near their Atlantic Station home on 17th street and The Village. The female suspect allegedly approached the family and said one word — “corona” — before coughing and laughing hysterically. The parents say the female deliberately coughed in the direction of their six-year-old son. Apparently, the suspect held up her cell-phone and made a video-clip of her coughing stunt. Which may help police track her down. Police released images of the female suspect shopping at a nearby Target with a drink in her hand — and asked the public to help identify her.

The female suspect is being sought for a reckless conduct charge. If convicted, she could face up to 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Newsweek magazine reports: “It remains unclear if the woman was actually involved in the same social media challenge that first hit the headlines in March, when a female teenager filmed themselves licking a toilet bowl, seemingly in an attempt to kick off a new trend.”

KNOCKED UP: A pregnant woman stole a CBS46 local news van in Midtown — with another pregnant reporter inside.

Police say the driver of the news van left it running, with a pregnant CBS46 reporter in the rear of the van’s cargo area. The two were covering a car crash on 17th Street — and police officers were already on the scene, searching for the missing driver of that first crash.

Suddenly, a 38-year-old pregnant woman leapt into the driver’s seat of the news van and peeled off — with the pregnant reporter still in the van’s cargo area. The pregnant reporter yelled for help, and police officers tried to stop the van, which crashed a short distance away near the traffic circle at Peachtree Circle and The Prado in Ansley Park. The pregnant reporter was not hurt in the crash; however the pregnant suspect injured her arm.

The 38-year-old pregnant suspect is now charged with kidnapping.

SHAKE IT, SUGAR: A police department in Taneytown, Maryland, sent out a friendly pandemic fashion reminder to residents about proper attire for walking from your home to your mailbox. Apparently, some followers of the local stay-at-home-shelter order were enjoying a mini-break from covering their lower halves. Police in Taneytown got fed up, and posted this stern reminder on Facebook: “Please remember to put on pants before checking your mailbox. You know who you are. This is your final warning.”

CONTAGIOUS VIBES: In Oakhurst, a woman started dressing up as Chicken Bike Lady and riding through the neighborhood on a regular basis, just to cheer up people following shelter-at-home orders. She went all in — and built a large red-and-white chicken-creature to prop on the back of her bicycle for the rides. Chicken Bike Lady even made special trips for kids celebrating birthdays while stuck at home: She’d ride by, wave, sing “Happy Birthday” — all while keeping a safe social distance from all.

JURASSIC PARK DUO: Prehistoric beasts started reclaiming parts of Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood during the pandemic-stay-at-home-quarantine days. Two people dressed up in stuffed dinosaur costumes were spotted casually strolling down a street. The first dino appeared to be a Tyrannosaurus rex; the second a Stegosaurus. No indication as to what prompted their distinct-extinct pandemic attire.

PANDEMIC DARWIN AWARD #2: A grocery store had to dump $35,000 worth of food because a woman allegedly “came into the store and proceeded to purposely cough on our fresh produce, and (on) a small section of our bakery, meat case, and grocery,” the store’s managers posted on Facebook. “While there is little doubt this woman was doing it as a very twisted prank, we will not take any chances with the health and well-being of our customers. We had no choice but to throw out all of the products she came in contact with.” The grocery store is located in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and puts them into her own words."
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  string(4319) "__PANDEMIC DARWIN AWARD #1:__ Police say an Atlanta woman coughed on a family for a “coronavirus social media” challenge. The female suspect is accused of targeting a family of six — including four children — who were taking a stroll near their Atlantic Station home on 17th street and The Village. The female suspect allegedly approached the family and said one word — “corona” — before coughing and laughing hysterically. The parents say the female deliberately coughed in the direction of their six-year-old son. Apparently, the suspect held up her cell-phone and made a video-clip of her coughing stunt. Which may help police track her down. Police released images of the female suspect shopping at a nearby Target with a drink in her hand — and asked the public to help identify her.

The female suspect is being sought for a reckless conduct charge. If convicted, she could face up to 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine. ''Newsweek'' magazine reports: “It remains unclear if the woman was actually involved in the same social media challenge that first hit the headlines in March, when a female teenager filmed themselves licking a toilet bowl, seemingly in an attempt to kick off a new trend.”

__KNOCKED UP:__ A pregnant woman stole a CBS46 local news van in Midtown — with another pregnant reporter inside.

Police say the driver of the news van left it running, with a pregnant CBS46 reporter in the rear of the van’s cargo area. The two were covering a car crash on 17th Street — and police officers were already on the scene, searching for the missing driver of that first crash.

Suddenly, a 38-year-old pregnant woman leapt into the driver’s seat of the news van and peeled off — with the pregnant reporter still in the van’s cargo area. The pregnant reporter yelled for help, and police officers tried to stop the van, which crashed a short distance away near the traffic circle at Peachtree Circle and The Prado in Ansley Park. The pregnant reporter was not hurt in the crash; however the pregnant suspect injured her arm.

The 38-year-old pregnant suspect is now charged with kidnapping.

__SHAKE IT, SUGAR:__ A police department in Taneytown, Maryland, sent out a friendly pandemic fashion reminder to residents about proper attire for walking from your home to your mailbox. Apparently, some followers of the local stay-at-home-shelter order were enjoying a mini-break from covering their lower halves. Police in Taneytown got fed up, and posted this stern reminder on Facebook: “Please remember to put on pants before checking your mailbox. You know who you are. This is your final warning.”

__CONTAGIOUS VIBES:__ In Oakhurst, a woman started dressing up as Chicken Bike Lady and riding through the neighborhood on a regular basis, just to cheer up people following shelter-at-home orders. She went all in — and built a large red-and-white chicken-creature to prop on the back of her bicycle for the rides. Chicken Bike Lady even made special trips for kids celebrating birthdays while stuck at home: She’d ride by, wave, sing “Happy Birthday” — all while keeping a safe social distance from all.

__JURASSIC PARK DUO:__ Prehistoric beasts started reclaiming parts of Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood during the pandemic-stay-at-home-quarantine days. Two people dressed up in stuffed dinosaur costumes were spotted casually strolling down a street. The first dino appeared to be a ''Tyrannosaurus rex''; the second a ''Stegosaurus''. No indication as to what prompted their distinct-extinct pandemic attire.

__PANDEMIC DARWIN AWARD #2:__ A grocery store had to dump $35,000 worth of food because a woman allegedly “came into the store and proceeded to purposely cough on our fresh produce, and (on) a small section of our bakery, meat case, and grocery,” the store’s managers posted on Facebook. “While there is little doubt this woman was doing it as a very twisted prank, we will not take any chances with the health and well-being of our customers. We had no choice but to throw out all of the products she came in contact with.” The grocery store is located in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania. —__CL__—

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  string(4723) " 0520blot Cough V3 Web  2020-05-11T17:05:39+00:00 0520blot-cough-v3_web.jpg     theblotter And other tales of life in the ATL 0520blot Cough V3 Web   2020-05-01T04:05:00+00:00  THE BLOTTER: The ‘coughing bandit’ strikes jim.harris Jim Harris LAUREN KEATING lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2020-05-01T04:05:00+00:00 PANDEMIC DARWIN AWARD #1: Police say an Atlanta woman coughed on a family for a “coronavirus social media” challenge. The female suspect is accused of targeting a family of six — including four children — who were taking a stroll near their Atlantic Station home on 17th street and The Village. The female suspect allegedly approached the family and said one word — “corona” — before coughing and laughing hysterically. The parents say the female deliberately coughed in the direction of their six-year-old son. Apparently, the suspect held up her cell-phone and made a video-clip of her coughing stunt. Which may help police track her down. Police released images of the female suspect shopping at a nearby Target with a drink in her hand — and asked the public to help identify her.

The female suspect is being sought for a reckless conduct charge. If convicted, she could face up to 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Newsweek magazine reports: “It remains unclear if the woman was actually involved in the same social media challenge that first hit the headlines in March, when a female teenager filmed themselves licking a toilet bowl, seemingly in an attempt to kick off a new trend.”

KNOCKED UP: A pregnant woman stole a CBS46 local news van in Midtown — with another pregnant reporter inside.

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The 38-year-old pregnant suspect is now charged with kidnapping.

SHAKE IT, SUGAR: A police department in Taneytown, Maryland, sent out a friendly pandemic fashion reminder to residents about proper attire for walking from your home to your mailbox. Apparently, some followers of the local stay-at-home-shelter order were enjoying a mini-break from covering their lower halves. Police in Taneytown got fed up, and posted this stern reminder on Facebook: “Please remember to put on pants before checking your mailbox. You know who you are. This is your final warning.”

CONTAGIOUS VIBES: In Oakhurst, a woman started dressing up as Chicken Bike Lady and riding through the neighborhood on a regular basis, just to cheer up people following shelter-at-home orders. She went all in — and built a large red-and-white chicken-creature to prop on the back of her bicycle for the rides. Chicken Bike Lady even made special trips for kids celebrating birthdays while stuck at home: She’d ride by, wave, sing “Happy Birthday” — all while keeping a safe social distance from all.

JURASSIC PARK DUO: Prehistoric beasts started reclaiming parts of Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood during the pandemic-stay-at-home-quarantine days. Two people dressed up in stuffed dinosaur costumes were spotted casually strolling down a street. The first dino appeared to be a Tyrannosaurus rex; the second a Stegosaurus. No indication as to what prompted their distinct-extinct pandemic attire.

PANDEMIC DARWIN AWARD #2: A grocery store had to dump $35,000 worth of food because a woman allegedly “came into the store and proceeded to purposely cough on our fresh produce, and (on) a small section of our bakery, meat case, and grocery,” the store’s managers posted on Facebook. “While there is little doubt this woman was doing it as a very twisted prank, we will not take any chances with the health and well-being of our customers. We had no choice but to throw out all of the products she came in contact with.” The grocery store is located in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania. —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and puts them into her own words.    Illustration by Tray Butler   0,0,10    theblotter                       THE BLOTTER: The ‘coughing bandit’ strikes "
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A cop noted: “The woman described the horse as a 17-hand draft Paint color horse with black and white spots and gold glitter polish(ed) hooves.”

The horse’s handler — a man with a short haircut — asked the bitten woman if she wanted a free carriage ride, to make up for the horse bite. No thanks, said the woman, refusing the bonus ride.        -84.3941429,33.7591953,15  THE BLOTTER: Wiped out! cl issue april 2020                        The Blotter: All That Glitters "
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  string(7249) "In a flash, all of Atlanta’s population became obsessed with one thing: Wiping their asses. And consumed with fear over supplies running out for said ass-wiping. Toilet-paper thievery reports suddenly surpassed reports of more conventionally appealing items for bandits, like flat-screen TVs. And it wasn’t just experienced robbers with TP on the brain: A seemingly sane and wholesome-looking elderly grandfather knocked innocent children to the ground for a single roll of Quilted Northern Ultra-Plush. 

Grocery store parking lots across ATL abruptly transformed into bitch-slap combat zones, one pitting a suburban housewife versus a bearded urban hipster with a man-bun — with both sides madly wrestling over 18-packs of Charmin Ultra-Soft 2-Ply Mega Rolls. 

Of course, it’s not just in the ATL. More than 3,000 miles away, the police department in Newport, Oregon got fed up with fielding “emergency” calls over toilet-paper shortages. “It’s hard to believe that we even have to post this,” Newport police wrote on Facebook. “Do not call 9-1-1 just because you ran out of toilet paper. You will survive without our assistance. In fact, history offers you many other options in your time of need if you cannot find a roll: Mayans used corncobs … Farmers used pages from the Farmers Almanac.” The police post goes on to suggest “grocery receipts, newspaper, cloth rags, lace, cotton balls, and that empty toilet paper roll sitting in front of you … Just don’t call 9-1-1. We cannot bring you toilet paper.” 

Humanity still hasn’t recovered. 

ALL THAT GLITTERS: One evening, a 35-year-old woman was walking in downtown Atlanta, past the horse-driven carriages lined up for tourist rides on Luckie Street. Suddenly, “a horse bit her right arm.” 

A cop noted: “The woman described the horse as a 17-hand draft Paint color horse with black and white spots and gold glitter polish(ed) hooves.”

The horse’s handler — a man with a short haircut — asked the bitten woman if she wanted a free carriage ride, to make up for the horse bite. No thanks, said the woman, refusing the bonus ride. 

Also, she refused to go to the emergency room, insisting the horse bite wasn’t that bad. The reporting officer noted clearly visible bruises and abrasions on the woman’s right arm. 

REVENGE WITH CONDIMENTS: A 20-year-old man walked into the Grant Park Police Department to report a dispute with his girlfriend. He said he posted something on social media that his girlfriend did not agree with, and she began to accuse him of cheating. “Since then, she has texted him multiple times, threatening to send nude pictures of him to his mother and calling his job,” the reporting cop noted. “He believes she also trashed his vehicle by tossing mustard all over it.” 

The boyfriend had proof, showing texts and video to cops.  He said he would try to get a restraining order. 

MASTER OF THE OBVIOUS: Around midnight in Grant Park, a cop peered out a Zone 3 precinct window — and spotted a blue Nissan Altima idling at the intersection of Cherokee and Atlanta avenues. Other cars piled up “behind the Nissan, honking their horns to get the vehicle to move,” the observant cop noted.

The cop walked outside to check it out.  “I approached the vehicle and saw a man slumped over the driver seat. I then started knocking on the windows, but got no response from the driver. I then went to the driver’s side of the vehicle and opened the door and started shaking (the driver) … after about 20 seconds of shaking him, he finally responded.” 

The cop asked: Did you have any alcoholic drinks tonight? 

The driver: Yes, I did. 

“He then stepped out (of the car) and could barely keep his balance. Medics arrived, examined him, and said he wasn’t injured, just drunk. 

Just to review: Not only did this gentleman pass out in his car around midnight, directly in front of the Grant Park police station. He also did so a) in his girlfriend’s car and b) while driving on a suspended license. Talk about making cops’ jobs super-easy. 

The man was arrested and charged with a DUI Less Safe; impeding the flow of traffic; and driving with a suspended license. His girlfriend was allowed to come pick up her Nissan Altima before her boyfriend went to jail. 

GOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE MAN! In the Old Fourth Ward around 7:30 a.m., a 31-year-old woman called police to her apartment on Linden Avenue. “(She) said she woke up to get ready for the day before her boyfriend (and father of her child),” a cop noted: The girlfriend said her boyfriend woke up and was upset that he overslept and was now late for work — and blamed her for not waking him up … so he flipped over her mattress and dresser, upside down,” the cop noted. “The boyfriend then grabbed the blinds in their bedroom, ripping and removing several sections of blinds from the window.” The girlfriend started to call 911 — and her boyfriend punched a hole in the hallway wall and left the apartment. She wasn’t sure where he went. 

Cops noted that the girlfriend wasn’t concerned or afraid about her personal safety … but she wanted a police report because her angry lover had damaged items belonging to the apartment management company, like the wall and blinds. “(The girlfriend) said her boyfriend has anger issues but has never put his hands on her,” the cop noted.

CHIP ON THE SHOULDER? In the Joyland neighborhood, an argument between a customer and a store manager broke out at a convenience store on Pryor Road. A 29-year-old woman said she bought some Lays Potato Chips for her and her children. The woman said she and her kids were eating the bag of chips when she realized the bottom of the bag contained more than chips. “When she opened it, dead ants were in the bottom of the chip bag.” 

The woman wanted a refund for her insect-infested potato chips. And she wanted a full refund for everything she bought at the store : $12. The store manager refused to give her any refund. 

A cop showed up and heard both sides. “I informed (the woman) that she’d have to take up a claim with Lays Company,” the reporting officer noted.

BITTER FRUIT: On Auburn Avenue, a grocery store owner said a local drug dealer named “Fruit” was harassing a male customer in his 60s who was withdrawing money from the ATM located inside the store. The customer complained to the grocery-store owner – and suddenly Fruit intruded and got upset because he falsely believed the owner allowed the customer to take his place in the ATM line. According to the owner, “Fruit” was beyond frustrated with the situation – so the owner asked him leave the store. “Fruit” refused to go – so the owner picked up the phone to call police. That’s when Fruit the Drug Dealer threatened to kill the owner if he actually did call the police (which he promptly called).  By the time cops arrived, Fruit was long gone.

Fruit the Drug dealer is described as a skinny man wearing a red hat and a black jacket. Nothing further.

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and puts them into her own words."
  ["tracker_field_contentWikiPage_raw"]=>
  string(7544) "In a flash, all of Atlanta’s population became obsessed with one thing: Wiping their asses. And consumed with fear over supplies running out for said ass-wiping. Toilet-paper thievery reports suddenly surpassed reports of more conventionally appealing items for bandits, like flat-screen TVs. And it wasn’t just experienced robbers with TP on the brain: A seemingly sane and wholesome-looking elderly grandfather knocked innocent children to the ground for a single roll of Quilted Northern Ultra-Plush. 

Grocery store parking lots across ATL abruptly transformed into bitch-slap combat zones, one pitting a suburban housewife versus a bearded urban hipster with a man-bun — with both sides madly wrestling over 18-packs of Charmin Ultra-Soft 2-Ply Mega Rolls. 

Of course, it’s not just in the ATL. More than 3,000 miles away, the [https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/the-story/newport-police-ask-residents-not-to-call-911-over-toilet-paper-shortages/283-159f5b17-f923-41cf-b5f0-52fb187baf96|police department in Newport, Oregon] got fed up with fielding “emergency” calls over toilet-paper shortages. “It’s hard to believe that we even have to post this,” Newport police wrote on [https://www.facebook.com/NewportPolice/photos/a.10150611383469944/10151320061939944/?type=3&theater|Facebook]. “Do not call 9-1-1 just because you ran out of toilet paper. You will survive without our assistance. In fact, history offers you many other options in your time of need if you cannot find a roll: Mayans used corncobs … Farmers used pages from the Farmers Almanac.” The police post goes on to suggest “grocery receipts, newspaper, cloth rags, lace, cotton balls, and that empty toilet paper roll sitting in front of you … Just don’t call 9-1-1. We cannot bring you toilet paper.” 

Humanity still hasn’t recovered. 

__ALL THAT GLITTERS:__ One evening, a 35-year-old woman was walking in downtown Atlanta, past the horse-driven carriages lined up for tourist rides on Luckie Street. Suddenly, “a horse bit her right arm.” 

A cop noted: “The woman described the horse as a 17-hand draft Paint color horse with black and white spots and gold glitter polish(ed) hooves.”

The horse’s handler — a man with a short haircut — asked the bitten woman if she wanted a free carriage ride, to make up for the horse bite. No thanks, said the woman, refusing the bonus ride. 

Also, she refused to go to the emergency room, insisting the horse bite wasn’t that bad. The reporting officer noted clearly visible bruises and abrasions on the woman’s right arm. 

__REVENGE WITH CONDIMENTS:__ A 20-year-old man walked into the Grant Park Police Department to report a dispute with his girlfriend. He said he posted something on social media that his girlfriend did not agree with, and she began to accuse him of cheating. “Since then, she has texted him multiple times, threatening to send nude pictures of him to his mother and calling his job,” the reporting cop noted. “He believes she also trashed his vehicle by tossing mustard all over it.” 

The boyfriend had proof, showing texts and video to cops.  He said he would try to get a restraining order. 

__MASTER OF THE OBVIOUS:__ Around midnight in Grant Park, a cop peered out a Zone 3 precinct window — and spotted a blue Nissan Altima idling at the intersection of Cherokee and Atlanta avenues. Other cars piled up “behind the Nissan, honking their horns to get the vehicle to move,” the observant cop noted.

The cop walked outside to check it out.  “I approached the vehicle and saw a man slumped over the driver seat. I then started knocking on the windows, but got no response from the driver. I then went to the driver’s side of the vehicle and opened the door and started shaking (the driver) … after about 20 seconds of shaking him, he finally responded.” 

The cop asked: Did you have any alcoholic drinks tonight? 

The driver: Yes, I did. 

“He then stepped out (of the car) and could barely keep his balance. Medics arrived, examined him, and said he wasn’t injured, just drunk. 

Just to review: Not only did this gentleman pass out in his car around midnight, directly in front of the Grant Park police station. He also did so a) in his girlfriend’s car and b) while driving on a suspended license. Talk about making cops’ jobs super-easy. 

The man was arrested and charged with a DUI Less Safe; impeding the flow of traffic; and driving with a suspended license. His girlfriend was allowed to come pick up her Nissan Altima before her boyfriend went to jail. 

__GOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE MAN!__ In the Old Fourth Ward around 7:30 a.m., a 31-year-old woman called police to her apartment on Linden Avenue. “(She) said she woke up to get ready for the day before her boyfriend (and father of her child),” a cop noted: The girlfriend said her boyfriend woke up and was upset that he overslept and was now late for work — and blamed her for not waking him up … so he flipped over her mattress and dresser, upside down,” the cop noted. “The boyfriend then grabbed the blinds in their bedroom, ripping and removing several sections of blinds from the window.” The girlfriend started to call 911 — and her boyfriend punched a hole in the hallway wall and left the apartment. She wasn’t sure where he went. 

Cops noted that the girlfriend wasn’t concerned or afraid about her personal safety … but she wanted a police report because her angry lover had damaged items belonging to the apartment management company, like the wall and blinds. “(The girlfriend) said her boyfriend has anger issues but has never put his hands on her,” the cop noted.

__CHIP ON THE SHOULDER?__ In the Joyland neighborhood, an argument between a customer and a store manager broke out at a convenience store on Pryor Road. A 29-year-old woman said she bought some Lays Potato Chips for her and her children. The woman said she and her kids were eating the bag of chips when she realized the bottom of the bag contained more than chips. “When she opened it, dead ants were in the bottom of the chip bag.” 

The woman wanted a refund for her insect-infested potato chips. And she wanted a full refund for everything she bought at the store : $12. The store manager refused to give her any refund. 

A cop showed up and heard both sides. “I informed (the woman) that she’d have to take up a claim with Lays Company,” the reporting officer noted.

__BITTER FRUIT:__ On Auburn Avenue, a grocery store owner said a local drug dealer named “Fruit” was harassing a male customer in his 60s who was withdrawing money from the ATM located inside the store. The customer complained to the grocery-store owner – and suddenly Fruit intruded and got upset because he falsely believed the owner allowed the customer to take his place in the ATM line. According to the owner, “Fruit” was beyond frustrated with the situation – so the owner asked him leave the store. “Fruit” refused to go – so the owner picked up the phone to call police. That’s when Fruit the Drug Dealer threatened to kill the owner if he actually did call the police (which he promptly called).  By the time cops arrived, Fruit was long gone.

Fruit the Drug dealer is described as a skinny man wearing a red hat and a black jacket. Nothing further.

''The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and puts them into her own words.''"
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  string(7729) " 0420 Blot TP Final Web  2020-04-10T20:11:05+00:00 0420_blot-TP-final_web.jpg     blotter And other tales of life in the ATL 0420 Blot TP Final Web   2020-04-10T20:05:35+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Wiped out! jim.harris Jim Harris Lauren Keating lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2020-04-10T20:05:35+00:00 In a flash, all of Atlanta’s population became obsessed with one thing: Wiping their asses. And consumed with fear over supplies running out for said ass-wiping. Toilet-paper thievery reports suddenly surpassed reports of more conventionally appealing items for bandits, like flat-screen TVs. And it wasn’t just experienced robbers with TP on the brain: A seemingly sane and wholesome-looking elderly grandfather knocked innocent children to the ground for a single roll of Quilted Northern Ultra-Plush. 

Grocery store parking lots across ATL abruptly transformed into bitch-slap combat zones, one pitting a suburban housewife versus a bearded urban hipster with a man-bun — with both sides madly wrestling over 18-packs of Charmin Ultra-Soft 2-Ply Mega Rolls. 

Of course, it’s not just in the ATL. More than 3,000 miles away, the police department in Newport, Oregon got fed up with fielding “emergency” calls over toilet-paper shortages. “It’s hard to believe that we even have to post this,” Newport police wrote on Facebook. “Do not call 9-1-1 just because you ran out of toilet paper. You will survive without our assistance. In fact, history offers you many other options in your time of need if you cannot find a roll: Mayans used corncobs … Farmers used pages from the Farmers Almanac.” The police post goes on to suggest “grocery receipts, newspaper, cloth rags, lace, cotton balls, and that empty toilet paper roll sitting in front of you … Just don’t call 9-1-1. We cannot bring you toilet paper.” 

Humanity still hasn’t recovered. 

ALL THAT GLITTERS: One evening, a 35-year-old woman was walking in downtown Atlanta, past the horse-driven carriages lined up for tourist rides on Luckie Street. Suddenly, “a horse bit her right arm.” 

A cop noted: “The woman described the horse as a 17-hand draft Paint color horse with black and white spots and gold glitter polish(ed) hooves.”

The horse’s handler — a man with a short haircut — asked the bitten woman if she wanted a free carriage ride, to make up for the horse bite. No thanks, said the woman, refusing the bonus ride. 

Also, she refused to go to the emergency room, insisting the horse bite wasn’t that bad. The reporting officer noted clearly visible bruises and abrasions on the woman’s right arm. 

REVENGE WITH CONDIMENTS: A 20-year-old man walked into the Grant Park Police Department to report a dispute with his girlfriend. He said he posted something on social media that his girlfriend did not agree with, and she began to accuse him of cheating. “Since then, she has texted him multiple times, threatening to send nude pictures of him to his mother and calling his job,” the reporting cop noted. “He believes she also trashed his vehicle by tossing mustard all over it.” 

The boyfriend had proof, showing texts and video to cops.  He said he would try to get a restraining order. 

MASTER OF THE OBVIOUS: Around midnight in Grant Park, a cop peered out a Zone 3 precinct window — and spotted a blue Nissan Altima idling at the intersection of Cherokee and Atlanta avenues. Other cars piled up “behind the Nissan, honking their horns to get the vehicle to move,” the observant cop noted.

The cop walked outside to check it out.  “I approached the vehicle and saw a man slumped over the driver seat. I then started knocking on the windows, but got no response from the driver. I then went to the driver’s side of the vehicle and opened the door and started shaking (the driver) … after about 20 seconds of shaking him, he finally responded.” 

The cop asked: Did you have any alcoholic drinks tonight? 

The driver: Yes, I did. 

“He then stepped out (of the car) and could barely keep his balance. Medics arrived, examined him, and said he wasn’t injured, just drunk. 

Just to review: Not only did this gentleman pass out in his car around midnight, directly in front of the Grant Park police station. He also did so a) in his girlfriend’s car and b) while driving on a suspended license. Talk about making cops’ jobs super-easy. 

The man was arrested and charged with a DUI Less Safe; impeding the flow of traffic; and driving with a suspended license. His girlfriend was allowed to come pick up her Nissan Altima before her boyfriend went to jail. 

GOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE MAN! In the Old Fourth Ward around 7:30 a.m., a 31-year-old woman called police to her apartment on Linden Avenue. “(She) said she woke up to get ready for the day before her boyfriend (and father of her child),” a cop noted: The girlfriend said her boyfriend woke up and was upset that he overslept and was now late for work — and blamed her for not waking him up … so he flipped over her mattress and dresser, upside down,” the cop noted. “The boyfriend then grabbed the blinds in their bedroom, ripping and removing several sections of blinds from the window.” The girlfriend started to call 911 — and her boyfriend punched a hole in the hallway wall and left the apartment. She wasn’t sure where he went. 

Cops noted that the girlfriend wasn’t concerned or afraid about her personal safety … but she wanted a police report because her angry lover had damaged items belonging to the apartment management company, like the wall and blinds. “(The girlfriend) said her boyfriend has anger issues but has never put his hands on her,” the cop noted.

CHIP ON THE SHOULDER? In the Joyland neighborhood, an argument between a customer and a store manager broke out at a convenience store on Pryor Road. A 29-year-old woman said she bought some Lays Potato Chips for her and her children. The woman said she and her kids were eating the bag of chips when she realized the bottom of the bag contained more than chips. “When she opened it, dead ants were in the bottom of the chip bag.” 

The woman wanted a refund for her insect-infested potato chips. And she wanted a full refund for everything she bought at the store : $12. The store manager refused to give her any refund. 

A cop showed up and heard both sides. “I informed (the woman) that she’d have to take up a claim with Lays Company,” the reporting officer noted.

BITTER FRUIT: On Auburn Avenue, a grocery store owner said a local drug dealer named “Fruit” was harassing a male customer in his 60s who was withdrawing money from the ATM located inside the store. The customer complained to the grocery-store owner – and suddenly Fruit intruded and got upset because he falsely believed the owner allowed the customer to take his place in the ATM line. According to the owner, “Fruit” was beyond frustrated with the situation – so the owner asked him leave the store. “Fruit” refused to go – so the owner picked up the phone to call police. That’s when Fruit the Drug Dealer threatened to kill the owner if he actually did call the police (which he promptly called).  By the time cops arrived, Fruit was long gone.

Fruit the Drug dealer is described as a skinny man wearing a red hat and a black jacket. Nothing further.

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and puts them into her own words.    Illustration by Tray Butler   -84.4236492,33.7008587,15  The Blotter, The Blotter: All That Glitters cl issue april 2020 blotter                       THE BLOTTER: Wiped out! "
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  string(6083) "A mother-daughter spat turned ugly on Magnolia Street in northwest Atlanta. The 34-year-old daughter said her mother hit her over the head with a plant. The daughter showed no signs of serious injury and declined medical attention. The mother responded, telling police: “My daughter is a drug addict, and fuck that bitch, she is a hoe (sic).”

However the 52-year-old mother had a swollen eye and a big knot on her forehead. Also, the mother smelled of booze and admitted to having had “two shots earlier.” Also, “she was slurring her words and needed help walking because she was wobbling,” the cop noted.

Neighbors said they saw the mom hit her daughter with a plant … and also saw the mother trip and fall on her face, hitting the same location as her existing injuries. The mother kept cussing during her police interview and refused to stop screaming at her daughter. So police took the wobbly mother to jail for disorderly conduct while drunk.

SLIPPERY WHEN WET: At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, a 37-year-old man from Athens, Georgia, walked up to a Delta ticketing counter, whipped out his penis, and started pissing on the floor near the employees.

“When I arrived, I observed the urine on the floor,” the reporting cop noted. Also noted: The 37-year-old man was drunk out of his mind. Apparently, he had been denied boarding on an earlier flight because he was so frigging drunk. So he hung out at the airport for another two hours, then unloaded his pee spray on the Delta employees.

SLIPPERY WHEN WET, PART II: A 38-year-old woman said she was just waking up inside her apartment on Camellia Lane in the Lindbergh neighborhood, when she heard “rapid knocking.” She opened her door slightly to see if someone was there. “She stated (that) a woman with red hair and a black jacket barged into her apartment,” the reporting police officer noted. “The red-haired woman said that this was her apartment and would not leave.”

The first woman said that at first, she thought the red-haired woman was in the wrong apartment unit — but the red-haired woman insisted that it was hers.

“She said the red-haired woman grabbed her and wrestled her out of the apartment. When she tried to get back in, (the red-haired woman) grabbed her by the hair and began throwing her against the apartment wall and punching her,” the cop wrote. She stated that the red-haired woman then peed outside her front door.

When police finally arrived, they spotted the red-haired woman trying to leave through the back door. Cops searched the red-haired woman and found suspected crack and cocaine, plus a scale and $1,192 cash. They identified her as a 31-year-old woman from Gwinnett County (Dacula). The red-haired woman was arrested for trespassing, battery, and drug possession. The first woman swore she’d never met the red-haired woman before in her life. Nothing further.

HOW TO LOSE $$ AND SELF-RESPECT: In the Westview neighborhood, officers responded to a marital dispute on Alvarado Terrace. The 40-year-old husband said he was arguing with his wife because he suspects her of cheating. His next move? Give her money.

“(The husband) then advised that he gave her $600 in cash, but now wanted it back,” the reporting officer wrote. “(The husband) mentioned that he wants a police report documented just in case he would like to pursue (charges) to acquire his money back from his wife.”

As for the possibly cheating wife — she was already gone by the time police arrived on the scene. Cops gave the despondent 40-year-old husband a courtesy ride to his aunt’s house on Collier Drive.

VEGAN THIEF WITH DESIGNER TASTE? In the Collier Heights neighborhood, a 26-year-old woman said she returned to her apartment on Peek Road and discovered someone had thrown a package of raw meat onto her bedroom floor. Also, $13,350 worth of her belongings were missing, including: a snakeskin Gucci wallet ($750); black Gucci boots with red laces ($1,200); black and brown Louis Vuitton boots ($1,200); purple-and-black Balenciaga shoes ($900); a brown Louis Vuitton duffle bag with a pink strap ($4,500); and a red Gucci purse ($900).

The woman’s neighbors hadn’t heard a thing.

“I asked (the 26-year-old woman) if she had any enemies or someone whom she suspects could do something like this, and she said no,” the reporting cop noted.

STUPID CRIME OF THE WEEK: Around 11:30 p.m., a 34-year-old man was dining at Fellini’s Pizza on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Suddenly, a Fellini’s manager walked up and informed the 34-year-old man that someone had just broken a window on his black Jeep Grand Cherokee in the restaurant’s parking lot.

The 34-year-old man went outside and saw his front driver’s-side window had been smashed.

Did the perps steal anything from his car? Nope. “The vehicle was not entered,” an officer wrote.

And how did the window-smashers get to Fellini’s? Oh, in a new black Jaguar.

Cops reviewed Fellini’s surveillance footage and saw what appeared to be a brand-new black Jaguar roll into the parking lot. The Jaguar driver parked right next to the 34-year-old’s jeep. Two men with flashlights hopped out and began looking into nearby cars. Then, Fellini’s manager and another employee ran outside and started screaming at the two men, who hopped back into their Jaguar and left.

BITCH OF THE MONTH: A 26-year-old boyfriend and girlfriend got into a bad argument at his home on Calloway Drive. According to the boyfriend, the girlfriend smashed his TV on the ground; poured bleach on about $1,000 worth of his clothes; and broke the rear windshield of his silver Toyota Camry. All her shenanigans took place in front of the boyfriend’s 73-year-old grandfather. The girlfriend was long gone by the time cops arrived. Ironically, the boyfriend told police, his girlfriend lives on Valentine Street (which may or may not exist). —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and puts them into her own words."
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However the 52-year-old mother had a swollen eye and a big knot on her forehead. Also, the mother smelled of booze and admitted to having had “two shots earlier.” Also, “she was slurring her words and needed help walking because she was wobbling,” the cop noted.

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__SLIPPERY WHEN WET:__ At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, a 37-year-old man from Athens, Georgia, walked up to a Delta ticketing counter, whipped out his penis, and started pissing on the floor near the employees.

“When I arrived, I observed the urine on the floor,” the reporting cop noted. Also noted: The 37-year-old man was drunk out of his mind. Apparently, he had been denied boarding on an earlier flight because he was so frigging drunk. So he hung out at the airport for another two hours, then unloaded his pee spray on the Delta employees.

__SLIPPERY WHEN WET, PART II:__ A 38-year-old woman said she was just waking up inside her apartment on Camellia Lane in the Lindbergh neighborhood, when she heard “rapid knocking.” She opened her door slightly to see if someone was there. “She stated (that) a woman with red hair and a black jacket barged into her apartment,” the reporting police officer noted. “The red-haired woman said that this was her apartment and would not leave.”

The first woman said that at first, she thought the red-haired woman was in the wrong apartment unit — but the red-haired woman insisted that it was hers.

“She said the red-haired woman grabbed her and wrestled her out of the apartment. When she tried to get back in, (the red-haired woman) grabbed her by the hair and began throwing her against the apartment wall and punching her,” the cop wrote. She stated that the red-haired woman then peed outside her front door.

When police finally arrived, they spotted the red-haired woman trying to leave through the back door. Cops searched the red-haired woman and found suspected crack and cocaine, plus a scale and $1,192 cash. They identified her as a 31-year-old woman from Gwinnett County (Dacula). The red-haired woman was arrested for trespassing, battery, and drug possession. The first woman swore she’d never met the red-haired woman before in her life. Nothing further.

__HOW TO LOSE $$ AND SELF-RESPECT:__ In the Westview neighborhood, officers responded to a marital dispute on Alvarado Terrace. The 40-year-old husband said he was arguing with his wife because he suspects her of cheating. His next move? Give her money.

“(The husband) then advised that he gave her $600 in cash, but now wanted it back,” the reporting officer wrote. “(The husband) mentioned that he wants a police report documented just in case he would like to pursue (charges) to acquire his money back from his wife.”

As for the possibly cheating wife — she was already gone by the time police arrived on the scene. Cops gave the despondent 40-year-old husband a courtesy ride to his aunt’s house on Collier Drive.

__VEGAN THIEF WITH DESIGNER TASTE?__ In the Collier Heights neighborhood, a 26-year-old woman said she returned to her apartment on Peek Road and discovered someone had thrown a package of raw meat onto her bedroom floor. Also, $13,350 worth of her belongings were missing, including: a snakeskin Gucci wallet ($750); black Gucci boots with red laces ($1,200); black and brown Louis Vuitton boots ($1,200); purple-and-black Balenciaga shoes ($900); a brown Louis Vuitton duffle bag with a pink strap ($4,500); and a red Gucci purse ($900).

The woman’s neighbors hadn’t heard a thing.

“I asked (the 26-year-old woman) if she had any enemies or someone whom she suspects could do something like this, and she said no,” the reporting cop noted.

__STUPID CRIME OF THE WEEK:__ Around 11:30 p.m., a 34-year-old man was dining at Fellini’s Pizza on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Suddenly, a Fellini’s manager walked up and informed the 34-year-old man that someone had just broken a window on his black Jeep Grand Cherokee in the restaurant’s parking lot.

The 34-year-old man went outside and saw his front driver’s-side window had been smashed.

Did the perps steal anything from his car? Nope. “The vehicle was not entered,” an officer wrote.

And how did the window-smashers get to Fellini’s? Oh, in a new black Jaguar.

Cops reviewed Fellini’s surveillance footage and saw what appeared to be a brand-new black Jaguar roll into the parking lot. The Jaguar driver parked right next to the 34-year-old’s jeep. Two men with flashlights hopped out and began looking into nearby cars. Then, Fellini’s manager and another employee ran outside and started screaming at the two men, who hopped back into their Jaguar and left.

__BITCH OF THE MONTH:__ A 26-year-old boyfriend and girlfriend got into a bad argument at his home on Calloway Drive. According to the boyfriend, the girlfriend smashed his TV on the ground; poured bleach on about $1,000 worth of his clothes; and broke the rear windshield of his silver Toyota Camry. All her shenanigans took place in front of the boyfriend’s 73-year-old grandfather. The girlfriend was long gone by the time cops arrived. Ironically, the boyfriend told police, his girlfriend lives on Valentine Street (which may or may not exist). __—CL—__

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  string(6544) " 0320blot Plant Fight Final Web  2020-03-02T18:19:47+00:00 0320blot-plant-fight-final_web.jpg     blotter And other tales of life in the ATL 0320blot Plant Fight Final Web   2020-03-02T18:18:00+00:00  THE BLOTTER: Mommie Dearest jim.harris Jim Harris Lauren Keating lauren.keating (Lauren Keating) 2020-03-02T18:18:00+00:00 A mother-daughter spat turned ugly on Magnolia Street in northwest Atlanta. The 34-year-old daughter said her mother hit her over the head with a plant. The daughter showed no signs of serious injury and declined medical attention. The mother responded, telling police: “My daughter is a drug addict, and fuck that bitch, she is a hoe (sic).”

However the 52-year-old mother had a swollen eye and a big knot on her forehead. Also, the mother smelled of booze and admitted to having had “two shots earlier.” Also, “she was slurring her words and needed help walking because she was wobbling,” the cop noted.

Neighbors said they saw the mom hit her daughter with a plant … and also saw the mother trip and fall on her face, hitting the same location as her existing injuries. The mother kept cussing during her police interview and refused to stop screaming at her daughter. So police took the wobbly mother to jail for disorderly conduct while drunk.

SLIPPERY WHEN WET: At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, a 37-year-old man from Athens, Georgia, walked up to a Delta ticketing counter, whipped out his penis, and started pissing on the floor near the employees.

“When I arrived, I observed the urine on the floor,” the reporting cop noted. Also noted: The 37-year-old man was drunk out of his mind. Apparently, he had been denied boarding on an earlier flight because he was so frigging drunk. So he hung out at the airport for another two hours, then unloaded his pee spray on the Delta employees.

SLIPPERY WHEN WET, PART II: A 38-year-old woman said she was just waking up inside her apartment on Camellia Lane in the Lindbergh neighborhood, when she heard “rapid knocking.” She opened her door slightly to see if someone was there. “She stated (that) a woman with red hair and a black jacket barged into her apartment,” the reporting police officer noted. “The red-haired woman said that this was her apartment and would not leave.”

The first woman said that at first, she thought the red-haired woman was in the wrong apartment unit — but the red-haired woman insisted that it was hers.

“She said the red-haired woman grabbed her and wrestled her out of the apartment. When she tried to get back in, (the red-haired woman) grabbed her by the hair and began throwing her against the apartment wall and punching her,” the cop wrote. She stated that the red-haired woman then peed outside her front door.

When police finally arrived, they spotted the red-haired woman trying to leave through the back door. Cops searched the red-haired woman and found suspected crack and cocaine, plus a scale and $1,192 cash. They identified her as a 31-year-old woman from Gwinnett County (Dacula). The red-haired woman was arrested for trespassing, battery, and drug possession. The first woman swore she’d never met the red-haired woman before in her life. Nothing further.

HOW TO LOSE $$ AND SELF-RESPECT: In the Westview neighborhood, officers responded to a marital dispute on Alvarado Terrace. The 40-year-old husband said he was arguing with his wife because he suspects her of cheating. His next move? Give her money.

“(The husband) then advised that he gave her $600 in cash, but now wanted it back,” the reporting officer wrote. “(The husband) mentioned that he wants a police report documented just in case he would like to pursue (charges) to acquire his money back from his wife.”

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VEGAN THIEF WITH DESIGNER TASTE? In the Collier Heights neighborhood, a 26-year-old woman said she returned to her apartment on Peek Road and discovered someone had thrown a package of raw meat onto her bedroom floor. Also, $13,350 worth of her belongings were missing, including: a snakeskin Gucci wallet ($750); black Gucci boots with red laces ($1,200); black and brown Louis Vuitton boots ($1,200); purple-and-black Balenciaga shoes ($900); a brown Louis Vuitton duffle bag with a pink strap ($4,500); and a red Gucci purse ($900).

The woman’s neighbors hadn’t heard a thing.

“I asked (the 26-year-old woman) if she had any enemies or someone whom she suspects could do something like this, and she said no,” the reporting cop noted.

STUPID CRIME OF THE WEEK: Around 11:30 p.m., a 34-year-old man was dining at Fellini’s Pizza on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Suddenly, a Fellini’s manager walked up and informed the 34-year-old man that someone had just broken a window on his black Jeep Grand Cherokee in the restaurant’s parking lot.

The 34-year-old man went outside and saw his front driver’s-side window had been smashed.

Did the perps steal anything from his car? Nope. “The vehicle was not entered,” an officer wrote.

And how did the window-smashers get to Fellini’s? Oh, in a new black Jaguar.

Cops reviewed Fellini’s surveillance footage and saw what appeared to be a brand-new black Jaguar roll into the parking lot. The Jaguar driver parked right next to the 34-year-old’s jeep. Two men with flashlights hopped out and began looking into nearby cars. Then, Fellini’s manager and another employee ran outside and started screaming at the two men, who hopped back into their Jaguar and left.

BITCH OF THE MONTH: A 26-year-old boyfriend and girlfriend got into a bad argument at his home on Calloway Drive. According to the boyfriend, the girlfriend smashed his TV on the ground; poured bleach on about $1,000 worth of his clothes; and broke the rear windshield of his silver Toyota Camry. All her shenanigans took place in front of the boyfriend’s 73-year-old grandfather. The girlfriend was long gone by the time cops arrived. Ironically, the boyfriend told police, his girlfriend lives on Valentine Street (which may or may not exist). —CL—

The Blotter Diva compiles reports from the Atlanta Police Department and puts them into her own words.    Illustration by Tray Butler   0,0,10  The Blotter cl-issue-march-2020 blotter                       THE BLOTTER: Mommie Dearest "
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