An Atlanta family desperate to find their missing brother is asking the Northeast Georgia community for help. Joel Rosenbaum disappeared last week after being released from the Habersham County Detention Center in Clarkesville. His family has not seen or heard from him since.
The 65-year-old Lawrenceville man was jailed on a DUI charge, but his family believes the incident that led to his arrest may have been health-related.
“This is a guy who never took drugs, never drank, never smoked,” says Joel’s brother Harold Rosenbaum.
“He may be suffering from physical and mental health issues and may be in need of medical care,” adds sister-in-law Paula Rosenbaum.
Arrest and release
On January 24, a Habersham County sheriff’s deputy arrested Joel Rosenbaum after the Honda sedan he was driving ran off GA 365 in Mt. Airy. The Rosenbaum family says they’re not aware of any connection Joel has to Habersham County. They believe he may have been traveling through on his way to North Carolina.
After learning of his brother’s arrest through an article on Now Habersham, Harold says he tried to contact the jail nurse and administrators to alert them that his brother needed medical care. He says no one returned his calls until after they had already released him.
The sheriff’s office says Joel Rosenbaum was released from custody at 12 noon on January 25. However, a bond document signed by Habersham County Magistrate Judge Amy Thomas is dated January 26. Sheriff’s office records clerk Shelby Jardine explains that was a “clerical error.”
“The bond sheet was signed on Jan. 25th,” Jardine tells Now Habersham. “He [Joel Rosenbaum] left at 12 noon is what the jail records show.”
The timing is important because Rosenbaum’s family hopes someone who lives and works in the area may have seen Joel or captured security camera footage around the time of his release to let them know which way he was headed.
Nothing but his driver’s license
The family retrieved Joel’s car from the impound lot on Monday, January 30. They found his cell phone, wallet, car keys, jacket, and clothes still inside the vehicle.
“All he left with from the sheriff’s office was his driver’s license,” says his brother.
The family has filed a missing persons report with the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office. Harold Rosenbaum says a deputy told him Joel was having “panic attacks” while he was in jail. Officials reportedly told the family they checked the local hospital and their brother was not there. Family members have been to his house and say there’s no evidence that Joel Rosenbaum ever returned home.
Although they struggle to understand why the sheriff’s office released their brother without notifying them, the Rosenbaum’s say they’re not looking to point blame at anyone.
“We just want to find him,” says Paula.
“I don’t know where he is, who’s got him, even if he’s alive at this point,” adds Harold.
Joel Rosenbaum is five-feet six-inches tall, weighs around 140 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes, according to his family. He was last seen wearing a grey raglan shirt with red sleeves.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to please contact Harold Rosenbaum at 770-855-6006 or Paula Rosenbaum at 706-521-9208.
