04.29 Ledger 01 - The Cherokee Ledger-News

4 THE CHEROKEE LEDGER-NEWS NEWS APRIL 29, 2009
Bram Wieskopf, M.D.
Certified by American
Board of Internal
Medicine
Completed Residency at
Emory University
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Six teens were arrested last week
for allegedly causing significant
damage to a church on Shoal Creek
Road.
New Hightower Baptist Church,
in Canton, was burglarized and
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Michael Skardasis, M.D.
Certified by American
Board of Internal
Medicine
Completed Residency at
Emory University
1192 Buckhead Crossing, Suite E, Woodstock, GA 30189 • (1.3 miles west of I-575, off Towne Lake Parkway exit 8)
Ten illegals nabbed during traffic stop
BY ERIKA NELDNER
erikaneldner@ledgernews.com
An illegal immigrant and nine
people he might have been trafficking
into the country were taken
into custody April 23 following
a traffic stop.
Cherokee County sheriff’s
deputies stopped a pickup on Interstate
575 near Towne Lake
around 10:30 p.m. and found nine
people hiding under blankets in
the bed of the truck, said Major
Ron Hunton, of the Criminal Investigation
Division.
During the investigation, receipts
and other items were found
indicating that Alexander Nieves
Lopez, 23, entered the country
around Arizona sometime last
week and had been driving crosscountry
ever since, Hunton said.
Lopez also had a large amount
of cash, but Hunton
declined to say how
much.
He said it seems
like Lopez might
have been paid to
bring these people in-
to the United States.
“It appears to be
human trafficking at
Lopez
this point,” Hunton said. “He certainly
could have been paid by
someone, whether it was these individuals
or not, it’s a possibili-
vandalized March 27 and April 3,
said Major Ron Hunton, of the
Criminal Investigation Division.
Hunton said the teens, who were
between 14 years old and 16 years
old, damaged 40 tombstones,
burned church hymnals and damaged
the air duct system.
The estimated cost of the dam-
age was about $100,000.
The teens, who turned themselves
in to police April 23, were
charged with burglary, vandalism
to a place of worship, arson and
criminal damage to property,
Hunton said.
They were taken to the Paulding
County Youth Detention Center.
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He said that Lopez, the eight
adults and one juvenile seem to be
from Mexico.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) responded to the
scene and took custody of nine individuals
for further investigation
and deportation.
Lopez was charged with several
traffic violations, including driving
without a license, as well as
giving a false name to police.
Lopez was being held at the
Cherokee County jail and awaiting
pick-up by ICE.
The sheriff’s office turned all of
their information over to ICE officials
for further investigation.
Teens cause $100,000 in damage to church
Teen arrested for threatening
two local eateries
BY ERIKA NELDNER
erikaneldner@ledgernews.com
Police have charged a 16-year-old
Marietta boy in an incident that
shut down two local fast food
restaurants during spring break.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s
Office charged the teen, whose
name was not released due to his
age, with two counts of transmitting
a false public alarm, which is a
felony.
“The only motive we can find is
he did it for kicks,” said Major Ron
Hunton, of the Criminal Investigation
Division.
Hunton said the teen called several
numbers making prank calls
but didn’t threaten any of the other
businesses.
“There was no direct connection
between him and these businesses,”
Hunton said.
Sheriff’s deputies and Woodstock
police were called to the Mc-
Donald’s on Towne Lake Parkway
April 9 just after 11 a.m. regarding
a threat made. The manager of the
restaurant called 911 to report a
bomb threat. While officials were
investigating the first threat, another
threat was called the Taco
Bell at Eagle Drive and Putnam
Ford Road.
Woodstock police said someone
called the Taco Bell warning people
to get out within 20 minutes or
they “were going to die,” officials
said.
A bomb-sniffing dog was called
in to search both locations, and no
explosive devices were found.
“It’s a big deal, not only because
of the obvious, but these businesses
were closed, and about a dozen
law enforcement officers were involved,”
Hunton said.
Hunton said he didn’t have an estimate
of how much it cost law enforcement
to respond to the incident.
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