Passersby near Rabun County High School Wednesday afternoon grew alarmed when they saw a heavy police presence on GA 15/US 441. A video circulating on social media showed multiple patrol vehicles with lights running, stopping a vehicle south of the school zone.
A license plate reader flagged the vehicle as stolen from Clayton County, Georgia. The vehicle was part of a homicide investigation, the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office says.
According to RCSO Investigator Kevin Angell, a Georgia man accused of killing his grandmother in her Riverdale home allegedly stole the vehicle to escape town. Authorities caught Takeem Moore, 33, in Buncombe County, North Carolina, more than 200 miles from where the murder occurred.
Moore is in jail in North Carolina. His mother traveled to Buncombe County to pick up the car.
“His mom was driving the vehicle back to Clayton County when the system flagged it, says Angell. He says Clayton County officials had not removed the vehicle from the system that issues lookout alerts.
Angell assures the community the public is safe.
“Special precautions were taken to stop the vehicle outside the school zone and far enough away from populated areas in case it was still actively connected to a homicide investigation,” he adds.
The Rabun County Sheriff’s Office verified the information with the agencies working on the murder investigation. Angells says Clayton County removed the vehicle alert. Deputies cleared the scene and did not make any arrests.
