Three teens have been in the Bartow County Jail since January 28th on serious charges stemming from two incidents.
On Saturday, January 23rd, just before five p.m., a complainant stated he had become lost after leaving his girlfriend’s house and pulled over near Fairview Street and Fairview Circle in Cartersville. He said that he pulled his silver Kia Forte into a parking spot near a dumpster near the two streets and began to pull up his GPS.
The complainant stated he looked up and saw two males standing at either open window of his vehicle. He said one of them pulled out a black revolver from his hoodie pocket, pressed it to his head, and demanded that he get out of the car. The complainant stated he followed directions; the male grabbed his phone and shoved him away.
He stated he then hid behind the dumpster as the two males jumped into his car and drove west towards North Tennessee Street. The complainant said that his wallet and phone were in the car.
In regards to this incident, 17-year-old Cartersville residents Cameron Marquez Howard and Jasten Lecean Chapman received multiple charges. Those were for an aggravated assault involving the use of a firearm, hijacking a motor vehicle, criminal trespass, and theft by taking a motor vehicle. They also had charges of misdemeanor theft by taking, theft by receiving stolen property, armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of certain crimes, and possession of a handgun by a person under 18 years old. 17-year-old Jaylen Reece Sisson of Rome received a misdemeanor theft by receiving stolen property charge.
The second incident occurred on Wednesday, January 27th, at around 6:25 p.m. A driver said he was attempting to cross State Route 20 Spur onto Center Road and noticed a bullet had struck his Jeep Cherokee. He said he saw three males running up Center Road and nearly hit them. He suspected they were the ones who fired the gun. A deputy observed a dent and missing paint on top of his driver’s side quarter panel.
The clerk at Center Street Grocery and Bait said she was outside when the shooting occurred and walked back inside. She said there were three younger males inside the store earlier, and she charged a cell phone for one of them. She said there were two black males and one white male.
The driver of a Honda Accord said a bullet had struck his vehicle. He said he had taken his friend somewhere up the street, and the males began shooting at his car. His friend said he was unsure who the males were or why they would be shooting at them. A deputy observed a bullet hole in the trunk of the vehicle.
In that incident, all three boys received three charges of aggravated assault involving the use of a firearm and one for loitering or prowling. Howard also received one for reckless conduct, two for criminal damage to property in the first degree, and possession of a weapon during the commission of certain crimes.