Sheriff vows, “…we refuse to let criminal street gangs invade our community.”
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division has completed its investigation into the August 29, entering autos and vehicle thefts incident that occurred in the Woodcrest Subdivision off of Rennie Hames Road in Clarkesville.
Working in conjunction with the Dekalb County Police Department, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the Canton Police Department, the G.B.I. Gang Task Force and the ATF, Habersham County Sheriff’s Office investigators have been able to identify two juveniles and one adult suspect responsible for the crimes.
These same suspects are also part of a larger criminal street gang subset known as Bloxk Rixh (Block Rich), according to a press release from the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities say there is additional evidence proving that members of this gang are responsible for similar crimes committed in Hall, Greene, Pickens, and Dekalb counties during the same time frame.
As a result of the investigation, both vehicles stolen from Habersham County have been recovered and HCSO investigators are in the process of obtaining juvenile complaints or arrest warrants against the suspects on a whole host of charges. The charges include one count of theft by taking a firearm, two counts of theft by taking a motor vehicle, five counts of entering an auto, and one count of burglary. In addition, the suspects will be charged with 36 counts of violating the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism Act.
All of the charges are felonies. If convicted, the suspects could receive up to five years in prison on the entering auto charges and up to 20 years in prison on each of the other charges.
In all, 90 juvenile complaint charges and 45 arrest warrants are being taken against the three suspects, the sheriff’s office says. The juveniles are currently being handled in juvenile court, says HCSO Lt. Matthew Wurtz.
Sheriff Terrell expresses his gratitude to the Habersham CIDs who worked the case for their “diligence and persistence” in identifying the perpetrators and gathering evidence to solve the crimes.
A home surveillance camera captured these photos of one of the suspects in the Woodcrest subdivision. (click photos to enlarge)
“It is of great concern to me that armed criminals with strong gang affiliations would be bold enough to travel from the Atlanta area to our county and other counties in this region to commit crimes,” Terrell says. “The mere thought of the potential violence that these thugs could bring upon our citizens is incomprehensible.”
Terrell says the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office is taking a stand against the gang threat by charging the suspects with “every possible violation of criminal law available.” He says the message is clear. “In Habersham County, we refuse to let criminal street gangs invade our community. You will be caught and you will be held fully accountable for your actions.”
