Forsyth County Sheriff's Office

There is a crash at Keith Bridge Road and Hwy 9 causing delays. Find alternate routes.

***Road Race Alert***
The Dream Mile 5K/10K/Half Marathon will be taking place Sunday, September 15th from 7am until 10am in and around the Collection.
𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡.
Please watch for runners.

This afternoon at around 5:10pm, a bus driver from Little Mill Middle School contacted school transportation stating that students on the bus were indicating someone had a gun on the bus. Working with School Safety and Transportation, 911 Dispatch was able to locate the exact location of the bus by its GPS locating system. Deputies arrived within minutes, and with the limited information they had about a person being armed, they boarded the bus with weapons drawn.

The investigation revealed a student on the bus was playing a video game on his phone, when a 13-year-old student sitting behind him stood up and said, “he has a gun”. This comment instilled fear in the other students and they began repeating “gun”. The student was taken off the bus and searched. 𝐍𝐨 𝐠𝐮𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬. When questioning the 13-year-old about the outburst he indicated he thought it would be funny. That student has been charged with Reckless Conduct. He will answer to those charges before a Forsyth County Juvenile Judge and the school system will take appropriate disciplinary action.

Deputies waited with the bus until all students had been picked up by their parents.

Sheriff Freeman responded to the scene and has this message. “We need our students to report suspicious activity, but this reckless and just plainly stupid action we have seen in this incident, and several others this week are infuriating. Nothing about this or others is funny. I nor the Forsyth County School System will
tolerate this. Parents talk to your kids, reiterate the dangers and punishment that will follow such stupidity. Please also encourage them to take a breath, everyone is anxious but we need them to report any legitimate suspicious acts. Together we keep our schools, students and staff safe.”

UPDATE:
She was located in good health in Dallas, Texas

The investigation has revealed that she has left the County. She is not in any danger and our investigation is on going. Thank you for your help.

Correction.....She is NOT wearing a blue trench coat. Last seen wearing Yellow shirt and Khakis.

Please see the following BOLO for missing adult. If you have any information of the whereabouts of Socorro Medrano-Rodriguez please call FCSO at 770-781-3087

It's just another Friday. Yeaaa that's right, just another Friday.

We are celebrating the 64 women deputies employed by the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office on this 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 . The photo is just a few of our 𝐅𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐅𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬!

Our female deputies make up 15.13% of the agency. Which is more than the national average based on article by 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒, "Overall, women make up less than 13% of full-time police officers in the United States".

On Monday we welcomed a new member to the . Welcome Deputy Sheriff Adam Pendleton. We are glad you are here!

Today, and every day, we remember and honor the many lives so tragically lost because of the heinous attack on our great nation that occurred 23 years ago. 🇺🇸

September 10th is World Su***de Prevention Day. The theme is "Changing the Narrative on Su***de" with the call to action "Start the Conversation". This theme aims to raise awareness about the importance of reducing stigma and encouraging open conversations to prevent suicides.

Remember if you are in crisis you can call or text the 988 Lifeline to be connected with a trained crisis counselor.
❤️

Good morning Forsyth! This week's flies at the construction site of the new Denmark Library. Forsyth County Public Library officials said the Library should open late fall or early winter. Make it a great week and 🇺🇸

**Update: 12:15a**

GA-400 northbound has been re-opened at Jot Em Down Rd.

Deputies are working a bad crash at the intersection of Jot ‘Em Down and 400 Northbound. Expect delays in the area.

Last week, several members of our staff attended the week-long FBI-Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS) class in Atlanta. The FBI-LEEDS is a program that trains law enforcement leaders in strategic leadership, image management, officer wellness and preventing targeted violence. Congratulations!

Two teenagers have been arrested following investigations into threats made against two Forsyth County Schools.

On Wednesday, September 4th Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint of a school threat to Pinecrest Academy. A 15-year-old student posted a threat to the school on-line. When asked about the threat, the student admitted to the post and stated it was a joke and he thought it was funny. The student was arrested and charged with Terroristic Threats.

On Thursday, September 5th the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officers and Criminal Investigation Division detectives investigated 12 separate reports of threats to several of the schools within the County. The investigations revealed there was no credible threat to the schools, no guns were found on any campus and the students involved did not have access to any weapons.

However, a 14-year-old male from Desana Middle School was taken into custody and charged with Terroristic Threats and Disruption of Schools. The child did not have a gun nor did he have access to one, but the comments he made caused fear and disruption at the school.

Both of these students were taken to the Regional Youth Detention Center in Gainesville. They both had their first appearance in juvenile court this morning. Forsyth County juvenile court judges sided with the district attorney’s argument to keep the defendants in custody where they will remain until court.

“We take each and every threat to one of our schools as real and investigate them exhaustively . It is maddening that threats like these, hoax or not, follow a horrific event like the one in Barrow County earlier this week. Parents, please talk with your kids and explain that mentioning shooting up a school is no joke and I will put them in jail if they do it,” said Sheriff Freeman, “I also want to thank our community for staying vigilant and alerting law enforcement when they see something suspicious. I can assure you, safety in our schools is our number one priority and we will do everything we can to find those spreading fear in our students. We have continued to work closely with our Forsyth County School System partners including school safety. We have dozens of extra deputies at our schools in addition to our normal contingent of 56 deputies there every day. I want to thank Superintendent Young for his constant communication and support of our joint efforts in school safety. Know that we are having ongoing discussions, meetings and reviews of school safety and opportunities to enhance our protection of our students and staff. “

You just can't make this stuff up! For this week's Felony Friday we want to remind everyone that Porch Pirates strike all the time, not just during the holidays.

So, without further ado...

On September 3, 2024, the victim's video camera captured the suspect, Abraham Castro Araujo, stealing an Apple iWatch that had just been delivered by FedEx. FCSO had numerous cases of Porch Pirates in our area and our detectives were prepared to respond quickly. Video was submitted to FCSO's Intelligence Unit that captured the suspect and the blue Ford Escape he was driving.

Detectives used law enforcement software to follow the blue Ford Escape all around Metro Atlanta. As the vehicle made its way to Athens, our detectives reached out to Athens-Clarke County Police Department and one of their detectives located the car at an apartment community in their jurisdiction and identified the driver as the suspect in the FCSO case.

Athens-Clarke County stopped the car behind an AirBnB in Athens where Castro Araujo stated he was staying on vacation. In the back seat was an opened package with an address out of Alexandria, Virginia. Athens-Clarke County Police searched the car for stolen property and located an opened FedEx box addressed to a Milton PD's victim and the packing slip from AT&T addressed to FCSO's victim.

Based on this information, Athens-Clarke County PD obtained a search warrant for the AirBnB. In the apartment 2 Apple iPhone 14s, 1 Apple iPhone 15, 2 Apple iPhone 15 Pros, 4 Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, 2 Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, 1 Samsung Galaxy A15 G and 1 Apple Watch Ultra 2 were located.

Abraham Castro Araujo was arrested and charged with Felony Theft by Receiving Stolen Property in the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office case and the Milton PD cases. He has also made it clear that he is not partial to only iPhone OR Android. 🤪

We want to thank -Clarke County Police Department for their assistance in this case.

***Thankful Thursday***
Last week, Tim O'Neal, founder of SavingLivesAmerica.org, donated 50 mobile medic packs for our deputies. Over the years, Mr. O'Neal has donated enough medic packs for every one of our road deputies to have one in their patrol vehicle (over 200).

Saving Lives America is a not-for-profit organization that Mr. O'Neal started when he saw officers injured in the line of duty, without the proper equipment to stabilize their medical needs until help arrived. As a retired veteran and law enforcement officer that has been wounded on duty more than a dozen times, he understands the importance of these medical supplies, and the being able to access them as quickly as possible.

Each medic pack costs about $800 to build. If you would like to make a donation, visit www.SavingLivesAmerica.org for more information.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is aware of the truly evil incident that occurred in nearby Barrow County this morning. Four of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Chaplains are on-scene assisting as needed in Barrow County. In the words of Barrow County Sheriff Judd Smith, “Hate will not prevail. Love will prevail over what happened today.”

Sheriff Freeman and Superintendent Young have spoken at length today about this horrible event and the safety of Forsyth County Schools. Both reiterated the importance of “See something, Say something” as being vital to keeping our schools and children safe. Any threat to a school should be reported by calling 911, even anonymous tips can be made by students by texting or contacting the https://www.p3campus.com or downloading the P3Campus app on the App Store or Google Play.

We will continue to pray for those in Barrow County.

Cooler weather is around the corner and fall festivals will be flooded with people enjoying the colorful season. Be sure to remove, secure, or hide your valuables so they aren’t in plain view, and lock on your doors. Prowlers will be prowling.

For this 👅 we are introducing our newest K9, this is K9 Phoenix. He is a yellow lab assigned to School Resource Officer Jade Cassano. K9 Phoenix is trained in drug detection and tracking. Please welcome SRO Cassano and K9 Phoenix to the K9 Unit.

Happy Labor Day Forsyth County!

To all of the men and women across Forsyth County, & across our beautiful country, that work hard labor jobs, trades, and shed blood, sweat, & tears, we say thank you for what you do.

Good Morning Forsyth County & Happy Labor Day!

This weeks flags fly at the entrance of Greystone Trace subdivision, off Dr Bramblett Rd. Have a great start to your week with barbecue, watermelon, sweet tea, or whatever your Labor Day plans might include. Just make sure that you !

***Race Alert***
The Labor Day Donut Dash will be taking place tomorrow in and around Halcyon and the Big Creek Greenway. Please watch for runners.

Our H.E.A.T. Unit and road deputies are out watching for speeders and drivers under influence, all weekend. Make good choices while celebrating a long weekend.

***Race Alert***
Please be aware the I’m Boston Bound half and full marathon will be taking place on and around John’s Creek Parkway Sunday morning. Watch for runners
#26.2

Good morning Forsyth and welcome to another Felony Friday. This is the tale of Brione Russell and his wife Marcea Harris.

When we get together with our law enforcement partners, great things happen. In June of 2024, a neighboring agency received reports of equipment thefts at cell phone towers. In July, the virus spread to Forsyth County ,and our Property Detectives responded to a burglary at the T-Mobile tower on Bannister Road.

Law enforcement professionals got together and shared information. Through our investigative way, Brione Russell was developed as a suspect. The hunt for Russell began. We learned that Mr. Russell and his wife, Marcea Harris, were both wanted out of Louisiana for bank robbery.

With the assistance of our friends at the US Marshals Office, Brione Russell’s location was identified. You would have not dreamt this up, but he was at a cell phone tower in Dawson County. Luckily, two of our Property Detectives were down the street following up on other case.

Forsyth County Property Detectives, Dawson County deputies, and the US Marshals Office converged on the cell tower. Brione Russell was caught red handed in the act of burglarizing another cell phone tower. His buddy, Kendrick Larkin, was also present in the commission of the burglary.

The Forsyth County Warrant Unit then turned their attention to Marcea Harris. They learned that she was in currently in Forsyth County. The Warrant Unit located her, and the couple went to jail on the same day.

Great things happen when we work together. Please do not come to Forsyth County to do crimes. If you do, we have a place for you.

A very special "Thank You" on this to Kennon Heating & Air Conditioning for donating first aid backpacks to our K-9 Unit. Sgt Escolano & DS Cassano were there to accept the packs with K9 Maverick & K9 Phoenix!

These medical backpacks will be with each of our K-9 units to help provide medical care whenever the need arises.
hvac

Identity Theft is not going away. With the rise in business systems being compromised across the world, you should be sure you are doing everything in your power to keep you & your family's identities safe.

Here are five simple things you can do help protect yourself.

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of retired canine, K9 Hummer. He was sent off in true patrol dog fashion and was able to have one last bite on the sleeve before crossing over to become God’s watchdog.

K9 Hummer was 11 years old and leaves behind a family that loves him unconditionally. Please keep the Sessa family in your thoughts & prayers.

***Update: 4:45pm*** Roadway has been cleared and has been re-opened.

Deputies and other first responders are working a traffic crash on Matt Hwy at the intersection of Hubert Martin Rd (near Hendrix Rd). Traffic is being re-routed down Bannister Rd. Expect delays and road closure over the next hour.

It’s National Dog Day and our Sheriff’s Office K9’s aren’t taking a day off. They’re ready to serve our citizens 24/7. They love to work!