3 men charged in Haralson County for vehicle break-ins, theft
According to the sheriff's office, deputies were sent to West Georgia Auto Sales on Harmon Road in reference to a trespassing report.
When the deputies got there, they found Timothy Turner, Jr. loitering and found out he had an active warrant out for his arrest from HCSO.
Turner was arrested and taken to the Haralson County Detention Center.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Then, the owner of West Georgia Auto Sales called back and said he was watching surveillance footage and saw two other men inside of a vehicle on the property.
Deputies returned to the business and found Todd Philpot and Benjamin Smith, who deputies said were arrested after breaking into a vehicle and trying to take its catalytic converter.
When the HCSO Criminal Investigative Division then took over and processed the scene.
TRENDING STORIES:
3-month-old dies in metro Atlanta; police say his father waited days to call 911
South Fulton mayor walks out of city council meeting early after expenses questioned
Man pleads guilty to dragging officer by car onto I-285 during traffic stop
As a result of the investigation, Turner, Philpot and Smith were all charged with multiple crimes, and felonies.
Here's how each man was charged:
Timothy Scott Turner, 28 of Roswell, Ga.: charged with Theft by Taking, Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, Criminal Trespass, Criminal Damage to Property in the 2nd Degree, Entering Auto x 2, Possession of Tools for the Commission of a Crime and for his original warrant for Failure to Appear.
Todd Maurice Philpot, 54 of Dallas, Ga.: charged with Theft by Taking, Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, Criminal Trespass, Criminal Damage to Property in the 2nd Degree, Entering Auto x 2, Possession of Tools for the Commission of a Crime.
Benjamin Avery Smith, 48 of Douglasville, Ga.: charged with Theft by Taking, Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, Criminal Trespass, Criminal Damage to Property in the 2nd Degree, Entering Auto x 2, Possession of Tools for the Commission of a Crime.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Suit alleges fraud on Oklahoma's $2.5B Disney-sized theme park
This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. The sole investor in the $2.5 billion American Heartland theme park and resort that failed to launch in Vinita, Oklahoma, has alleged fraud and psychological abuse from the developers, according to a lawsuit filed July 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. In the suit, 91-year-old Gene Bicknell, who once owned a large chain of Pizza Hut franchises, alleges that promoters Richard M. Silanskas Jr., Larry K. Wilhite and Stephen D. Hedrick of Mansion Entertainment Group stole $60 million and caused him severe distress that led to a stroke last year. The suit, which asks for the investment back along with other fees, includes texts and emails from Silanskas and Wilhite impersonating messages from God. 'Silanskas and Wilhite executed a predatory conspiracy of psychological manipulation — convincing Gene, through fraud and impersonation, that God himself was commanding him both to finance the park's construction and to grant Silanskas and Wilhite two-thirds ownership over the completed venture,' the lawsuit reads. Developer Mansion Entertainment Group announced in July 2023 designs for the 1,000-acre Americana-themed development, including roller coasters, an indoor water park, a 300-room hotel and an RV park. The footprint of the 125-acre theme portion would rival Disney's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, or Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, in size. At the time, Hedrick commented publicly that Bicknell was the sole financial backer, per the suit. 'The plan was to use Gene's money to build the American Heartland Project and then steal it, paying themselves handsomely along the way,' the suit reads. 'Silanskas already had a record of involvement in failed theme park projects that left empty-handed investors in their wake.' The RV area was originally scheduled to open in spring 2025, followed by the theme park and resort in fall 2026. Indeed, the RV area broke ground in 2023 but nothing more has been built besides a fence and a gravel road, according to the suit. Developers claimed that their design team includes former Disney Parks builders and Walt Disney Imagineers, but that was also a lie, the suit alleges. 'The groundbreaking was essentially the beginning and the end of the construction work on the entire Project,' the lawsuit reads. 'Innocent people lost money by buying up land near Vinita with property values inflated by news of a theme park that would never exist.' This is not the first time the project has been sued. Canadian design firm Forrec and Columbus, Kansas-based Crossland Construction both filed claims in May 2024 alleging that they were not paid for their work. At least five lawsuits or arbitrations have been filed by vendors, according to Bicknell's suit. Mansion Entertainment Group did not respond to Construction Dive's request for comment on the lawsuit. Recommended Reading $2B Disney-sized theme park set to break ground in Oklahoma
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Security guard pleads guilty in death of man restrained outside Milwaukee hotel
MILWAUKEE — The last of four hotel employees charged in connection with the death of D'Vontaye Mitchell, a Black man who was held face down outside a downtown Milwaukee hotel in 2024, has pleaded guilty. Former Hyatt Regency security guard Todd Erickson, 59, pleaded guilty on July 31 to felony murder. The plea, before Circuit Judge David Swanson, came just days before jury selection was expected to get underway in Erickson's Aug. 11 trial. The 43-year-old Mitchell died during a June 30, 2024, confrontation with security at the Hyatt, where he was pinned down to the ground for about nine minutes. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Mitchell's death was a homicide that was caused by "restraint asphyxia," a condition that develops when a person's body position prevents them from breathing. Erickson and three other men — Devin W. Johnson-Carson, Brandon LaDaniel Turner and Herbert T. Williamson — were initially charged with felony murder. Erickson and Turner were employed by the hotel as security guards; Williamson worked as a bell driver door attendant; and Johnson-Carson was a front desk agent. In Wisconsin, felony murder carries a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison. Court records show prosecutors haven't made a sentencing recommendation yet for Erickson. Swanson said in court he would "take into account" Erickson's willingness to take responsibility in the case at sentencing. Erickson remained free on bond, and will be sentenced Sept. 3 — the same day as the three other men charged in connection to Mitchell's death. Francis Gigliotti death: 7 Massachusetts officers placed on leave after man died following struggle with police What happened to D'Vontaye Mitchell? A criminal complaint said Mitchell was outnumbered during the deadly encounter, in which the 43-year-old was repeatedly punched and hit with a broom after he was brought to his knees. Surveillance footage from the hotel showed Mitchell running through the lobby into the gift shop before entering a women's restroom. Turner is seen going into the same restroom, in which then he escorts Mitchell out. A struggle then ensued between Turner and Mitchell in the hotel's main lobby, according to the footage and criminal complaint. Turner tried to grab Mitchell, but Mitchell resisted, the footage showed. Once in the lobby, the men are seen in the footage pushing each other. It's there that Turner begins punching Mitchell, who is knocked to the floor. The incident draws the attention of a hotel guest, who intervenes to help Turner. According to the complaint, the hotel guest and Turner escorted and later dragged Mitchell outside — where a female Hyatt employee struck Mitchell in the legs with a broom. The complaint said Turner then punched Mitchell about six times and footage further showed Williamson and Johnson-Carter attempting to help Erickson and Turner force Mitchell down to his stomach. 'At some point, the individuals gained control of him and got him on his stomach," Milwaukee Police Detective Martin Saavedra testified at a preliminary hearing in August 2024. Once on his stomach, Mitchell is heard on a Facebook Live video captured by a bystander repeatedly saying "I'm sorry." Mitchell died after being restrained for roughly nine minutes by the men. Report: US sets another grim record for killings by police in 2024 Mitchell's death drew comparisons to other cases The incident garnered national attention — raising questions over the use of force — and drew immediate comparisons to George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died in 2020 after a former Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck and back for more than nine minutes. Mitchell's death also sparked days of protests and demonstrations leading up to the Republican National Convention, which was held between July 15 and July 18, 2024, and hosted in Milwaukee. The case drew the attention of attorney Benjamin Crump, who has represented families across the country for personal injury and civil rights violations, including those of Floyd, Tyre Nichols, and Breonna Taylor. Crump, along with Milwaukee attorneys Will Sulton and B'Ivory Lamarr, negotiated a settlement between Mitchell's family and Aimbridge Hospitality, the third-party operator that manages the Hyatt. The Plano, Texas,-based company fired all four men after the criminal charges were handed down. Here's what has happened with the other defendants Turner, 35, of Milwaukee, reached a deal in March to plead guilty to felony as a party to a crime and cooperate with prosecutors. Prosecutors agreed to recommend probation for Turner in exchange for his testimony against any remaining defendants at trial. Also in March, Williamson, 53, of Milwaukee, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery, which is punishable by up to nine months in jail, plus a $10,000 fine. Johnson-Carson, 24, pleaded guilty that same month to misdemeanor battery in exchange for his cooperation and testimony. Prosecutors are recommending Johnson-Carson be given probation.
CNN
3 days ago
- CNN
Guest essay: Big tech must help stop the livestreamed abuse of children
EDITOR'S NOTE: Samson Inocencio Jr. is national director for International Justice Mission (IJM) in the Philippines and the regional Vice President of IJM's OSEC Hub, working against the online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC). The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. On this World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, I find myself holding two truths in tension: deep despair and profound hope. After more than two decades fighting human trafficking in the Philippines, I have witnessed both the unthinkable harm inflicted on children `– and the extraordinary progress made to stop it. Right now, at an alarming scale, sex offenders from around the world conspire online with traffickers in countries like the Philippines, paying to livestream the sexual abuse of children as directed by the offenders in real time. As part of International Justice Mission (IJM), I lead a team in the Philippines committed to protecting children from this horrific form of human trafficking, where young victims are trafficked to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM), especially in live videos. At the same time, I am hopeful because we have seen incredible success in our partnership with the Philippine government to address this crime. Through IJM-supported cases since 2011, Philippine law enforcement has brought to safety over 1,470 victims (and at-risk individuals), arrested over 430 traffickers and convicted over 265 perpetrators. And in 2016, the US State Department recognized this progress by upgrading the Philippines to Tier 1 in its Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report — the first Southeast Asian country to reach that top ranking, which still held its place on the latest 2024 report. The message was clear: when justice systems are equipped and accountable, they can stop trafficking. But despite this progress and sustained commitment from governments, this particular form of technology-facilitated trafficking continues to ravage communities in the Philippines and around the world. It has become clear to me that we cannot rely solely on the efforts of individual governments or bilateral partnerships to adequately address the tidal wave of violence against children on the internet. It's simply not enough. 'Technology companies play a pivotal role in protecting victims and vulnerable individuals from being exploited through the use of their online platforms and must be part of the solution to combat human trafficking,' according to the 2024 TIP Report. And because many of the world's largest and most influential technology companies are based in the United States, the US Congress must pass laws to appropriately incentivize this influential sector to be a part of the answer to this epidemic. Countries like the US where sex offenders driving the demand for this crime often live — and the online platforms, payment processors and money transfer services that inadvertently enable it — must take action. This comes at a timely moment for US policymakers, who have been increasingly attentive to the crisis of children being exploited online. It is time for US Congress to pass the STOP CSAM Act (H.R.3921 and S.1829). Momentum is building for this legislation, which was examined at a March hearing before the US Senate Judiciary Committee and advanced on a bipartisan basis by that committee on June 12 in a unanimous vote of 22-0. If enacted, this bill would allow victims to seek legal recourse against online platforms that promote or aid and abet their exploitation — a significant step toward the goal of protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation online. The STOP CSAM Act would also help improve the quality of reports submitted by online platforms to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline by requiring platforms to report specific details of child sexual exploitation. Online platforms are already required to report this form of child sex trafficking under the REPORT Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law in May 2024. The STOP CSAM Act strengthens existing reporting obligations and emphasizes the importance of including particular data points in CyberTipline reports that could help identify or locate a child who may be actively being exploited — including user and location information, content details and whether content was previously viewed. Stopping online sexual exploitation of children is a moral duty — and it should be enforced by increased legislative action in the US. The work is hard and long, marked by moments of deep exhaustion and despair, but hope still wins. I experienced a glimpse of this sustained hope as I was recognized by the US Department of State as a Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Hero last year — the highest honor given by the US government for anti-trafficking leadership around the world. Reflecting on the last two decades of this work, I have undoubtedly witnessed humanity's darkest side. Yet, my team and I have also experienced deep generosity and care from those working to combat this crime — and we are fueled by our experience that change is possible.
