Five more teenagers have been arrested and charged in connection with the investigation into the shooting death of Hall County Deputy Nicolas Blane Dixon.
The suspects were arrested Wednesday, July 17, as the result of an ongoing joint investigation by the GBI, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, and Gainesville Police Department. The GBI says the suspects have ties to four other teens already charged in connection with Dixon’s murder.
The GBI identifies the suspects as Jiovanny Castillo, 17, Antony Macias, 18, Adrian Gonzalez Verduzco, 18, Rodolfo Rodriguez Puentes, 17, and Jorge Rodriguez, 19, all of Gainesville, Georgia. All five were charged with tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension of a criminal.
Macias, Verduzco, Puentes, and Rodriguez were also charged with theft by receiving stolen property.
“I take heart in the spirit of cooperation this multi-agency investigative team has shown in its successful work.”
Dozens of stolen firearms recovered
The GBI says the suspects are connected to a burglary at the Double Deuce Pawn Store in Gainesville on July 6.
GBI spokesperson Nelly Miles says state and local law enforcement officials “have worked tirelessly to recover the weapons and other property stolen” during the pawn shop burglary. Twenty-five of 27 guns stolen have been recovered along with a large cache of ammunition and two crossbows. “Additional crimes were identified as having been done by this group,” adds Miles.
“As a result of the joint investigation, an additional firearm and seven stolen vehicles have been recovered.”
In all, authorities have solved a total of six burglaries, two stolen vehicle and three entering auto cases as a result of their investigation into the events leading up to and surrounding the death of Deputy Dixon.
Hector Garcia-Solis, Brayan Cruz, Eric Velazquez and London Clements, all 17 years old and from Gainesville, were arrested within hours of Dixon’s shooting and charged with felony murder. Authorities say the alleged gunman, Garcia-Solis, and Velazquez will face additional charges related to the burglaries, motor vehicle thefts, and car burglaries.
Police say Garcia-Solis gunned down Dixon during a foot chase after he and several other suspects wrecked and ran from a stolen vehicle that deputies suspected was used in the burglaries. Deputies returned gunfire and shot Garcia-Solis multiple times. He remains in critical condition at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville.
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch says personnel within the HCSO Criminal Investigations Division (CID) have spent approximately 1,200 hours investigating the case since Officer Dixon was killed.
“This investigation was a collaborative effort. Members of the Sheriff’s Office, Gainesville Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation worked side-by-side, around the clock at times, to bring the case to this point,” Couch says. “I take heart in the spirit of cooperation this multi-agency investigative team has shown in its successful work.”
Officials say once the investigation is complete it will be turned over to the Hall County District Attorney’s Office.
